Hong Kong Catholic leader Jimmy Lai found guilty

Hong Kong’s drawn-out show trial of Jimmy Lai has now resulted in a guilty verdict. Lai was convicted of colluding with foreign powers under Hong Kong’s National Security Law, deliberately written to imperil any critic of Beijing’s repression in the city. But Lai’s real crime was publishing Apple Daily, the city’s largest newspaper, which sought to hold Beijing to account for its promises to respect Hong Kong’s traditional freedoms. The U.S. has sought Lai’s freedom in talks with China. The U.K. has, in contrast, been shockingly indolent about the plight of a British citizen, and the Vatican has been AWOL.