Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and one of Beijing’s most outspoken critics, was found guilty Monday under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, in a verdict that could send him to prison for life and further extinguish the city’s once-vibrant freedoms.

The ruling, delivered by a three-judge panel handpicked under the 2020 law and without a jury, capped a marathon trial that stretched over two years. The judges branded Lai the “mastermind” of conspiracies to collude with foreign forces and incite hatred against China, citing his lobbying of U.S. officials during Donald Trump’s first term—including meetings with Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo—as well as opinion pieces urging sanctions on Beijing. They wrote that there was “no doubt” Lai had harbored resentment toward the People’s Republic of China for many years.

Throughout the proceedings Lai remained calm, waving to family members in court, and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The most serious count of collusion carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with sentencing yet to be scheduled. He has already spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement since his arrest in 2020 and is serving a separate five-year fraud sentence.

Prosecutors argued that Lai used Apple Daily, which was forced to close in 2021, to fuel the 2019 protests and call for foreign intervention. Evidence presented included WhatsApp messages, a New York Times op-ed in May 2020 suggesting visa revocations for children of Chinese officials, and lobbying efforts that judges likened to “an American asking Russia to bring down the U.S. government.”

Supporters queued overnight for seats in the courtroom, many expressing resignation and sorrow, saying there was no hope for his release. His son Sebastien raised concerns about his father’s health, citing diabetes and palpitations, while his daughter Claire wrote in the Washington Post about the toll of prolonged solitary confinement. Hong Kong authorities countered that Lai receives adequate medical care and insisted isolation was necessary.

The verdict is the latest chapter in a sweeping crackdown that has seen dozens jailed, media outlets dismantled, and a “patriots only” rule imposed on politics. Beijing and Hong Kong officials hailed the outcome as restoring stability after the unrest of 2019, while critics denounced it as the importation of authoritarianism. Global reactions were swift: Donald Trump said he had raised Lai’s case with Xi Jinping in October and believed he should be released; the UK, where Lai holds citizenship, demanded his freedom; and China’s embassy warned against foreign interference.

Lai’s life story—from arriving in Hong Kong as a 12-year-old stowaway from the mainland, to building a clothing empire, to founding a newspaper that became a symbol of defiance—has long embodied the city’s rags-to-riches spirit. His conviction now stands as a stark symbol of Beijing’s tightening grip on the former British colony.