Pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) yesterday went on trial in Hong Kong on national security charges that could see him jailed for life, with the US and UK demanding his release.
Lai, 76, is accused of “collusion” with foreign forces under a sweeping National Security Law that Beijing imposed on the territory in 2020.
He is the founder of the now-shuttered Chinese-language Apple Daily, which often criticized Beijing and supported the huge protest movement that roiled Hong Kong in 2019.
Photo: Reuters
The trial, which is to continue into the New Year, is being closely watched as a barometer for Hong Kong’s political freedoms and judicial independence.
A rags-to-riches millionaire who made his fortune selling clothes before expanding into media, Lai is to be tried without a jury and has been denied his first choice of lawyer.
Lai, who has rarely been seen publicly since 2021, appeared in court yesterday in a suit, looking thinner than in previous appearances. He smiled and waved at the gallery where his family sat.
Photo: AFP
He is a British citizen and representatives from foreign consulates of the US, the UK, Australia and Canada were present to observe the trial.
His case has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community, but Beijing has dismissed the criticism as smears and interference.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) accused the US and UK of double standards and described Lai as an “errand boy of anti-China forces.”
Photo: Bloomberg
“The United States’ and United Kingdom’s remarks on the case ... are in serious violation of the spirit of the rule of law and ... they constitute blatant political maneuvering,” Wang told a regular news conference.
British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron in a statement before proceedings began said that he was “concerned at the politically motivated prosecution” of Lai.
“As a prominent and outspoken ... publisher, Jimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association,” Cameron said. “I call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution and release Jimmy Lai.”
US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller also called for Lai’s release.
“Actions that stifle press freedom ... have undermined Hong Kong’s democratic institutions,” Miller said.
Imprisoned for more than 1,100 days, Lai has already been convicted in five other cases.
Dozens of democracy advocates have been charged under the National Security Law, but Lai is the first to contest a foreign “collusion” charge.
The trial is to include a raft of other charges against him, including “conspiracy to publish seditious material.”
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