Beijing said on Friday it “firmly supports” Hong Kong in “safeguarding national security” from criminal acts.
Lai is a British citizen, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces pressure from rights groups to secure his release.
Before Monday’s verdict, another former Apple Daily employee surnamed Chan recalled that Lai wished for a “free and democratic China”.
“He loved the country a lot, he just didn’t love the regime. (The situation) is absurd,” Chan told AFP outside court.
HEALTH CONCERNS
Lai has been jailed since Dec 31, 2020, and the state of his health is contested by his family and authorities.
He last appeared in court in August, fitted with a heart rate monitor after lawyers said he had palpitations.
Lai gave spirited courtroom testimony and was quick to respond to, and even bicker with, prosecutors and judges.
His daughter Claire told AFP last week that Lai, a diabetic, had “lost a very significant amount of weight” and showed nail and teeth decay.
The Hong Kong government said on Friday Lai has received “adequate and comprehensive” care and that “no complaints” had been raised.
Authorities also confirmed that Lai had been held in solitary confinement, but said that he “has all along been made at his own request”.
Source: CNA
