Hong Kong prosecutors yesterday began closing arguments in the trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英), arguing that he had shown “unwavering intent” to ask for foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China.
The 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has pleaded not guilty to two counts of foreign collusion, with authorities accusing him of using various platforms to lobby Western nations.
The charges are brought under the territory’s national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020 after Hong Kong experienced huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.
Photo: AFP
Prosecutors yesterday cited Lai’s web of foreign connections to argue he had “unwavering intent to solicit sanctions, blockades or other hostile activities” against China and Hong Kong, adding that the intent was “long-term and persistent.”
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Anthony Chau (周天行) highlighted Lai’s trips to the US at about the time of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, including one in July when he met with then-US vice president Mike Pence.
“The court will remember that, in any event, [Lai] himself did advocate and request for sanctions, which he said was against officials and not the state,” said Chau, referring to Lai’s earlier testimony.
Lai has denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong as a whole, and has said he never advocated separatism.
The trial was scheduled to begin its final stages on Thursday last week, but was postponed twice — first due to bad weather and then to address Lai’s medical needs.
The defense had said on Friday last week that Lai was experiencing heart “palpitations” and had an episode where he felt like he was “collapsing.”
Chau yesterday said that Lai had been prescribed medication and was wearing a heart rate monitoring device, which was given to him on Friday last week.
“[Lai] has made no complaint on his heart condition or general health condition and is fit to attend court,” Chau said.
Judge Esther Toh (杜麗冰) also read out a memo by a senior medical officer saying that Lai was “physically and mentally fit for court.”
Concerns have been raised previously over Lai’s health by his family and rights groups. The media tycoon has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, and has lost weight during that time.
The Hong Kong Government in a statement on Friday last week said that the “medical care received by Lai Chee-ying in custody is adequate and comprehensive.”
Dressed in a white shirt and pale windbreaker, Lai appeared in court yesterday without any medical equipment visible on his body.
He smiled and waved to supporters and family members in the public gallery when he entered.
He listened to the court proceedings via a set of headphones and closed his eyes for a few minutes during the morning session.
The long-running trial, which began in December 2023, is entering its final stages as Western nations and rights groups continue to call for Lai’s release.
Aside from the collusion offense — which could land him in prison for life — Lai is also charged with “seditious publication” related to 161 articles, including op-eds carrying his byline.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
RSS