Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai is now on trial at Hong Kong's West Kowloon Court on charges of "collusion with foreign forces" that could send him to life in prison.
Lai, 76 and founder of Apple Daily, was indicted under the national security law that Beijing imposed on the former colony in June 2020, in response to mass protests in the city in 2019 in favor of democratic reforms.
The trial is expected to last 80 days: the tycoon is one of the most important figures to end up in the crosshairs of the national security law, which criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces up to the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Lai pleaded not guilty to four charges, including two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of collusion with outside forces. He also faces charges of conspiracy for "seditious publications" linked to Apple Daily, a newspaper that ceased operations in July 2021 with the freezing of its assets by authorities and the arrest of some of the company's managers.
Lai's son, Sebastien, has repeatedly called for international help to secure his father's release, including during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron last week. "As an eminent and outspoken journalist and editor, Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association. I call on the Hong Kong authorities to end the judicial proceedings and release Lai," Cameron said in a statement. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also called for his release, noting that "actions that stifle press freedom and restrict the free flow of information have undermined Hong Kong's democratic institutions and damaged Hong Kong's reputation as an international economic and financial center."
The Chinese embassy in London, on the other hand, called Lai a "great conspirator and instigator" of the 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong and defended the process as "legitimate and justified". The proceedings against the tycoon were supposed to begin in December
2022, but were postponed after Hong Kong Governor John Lee decided to intervene to prevent Lai's defense lawyer, British veteran Timothy Owen, from representing him.
Beijing denounces, US and UK political manoeuvre on the case
China has harshly criticized the U.S. and Britain for statements of support and calls for Lai's release. "The U.S. and Britain's remarks on the case are in gross violation of the rule of law, constitute a blatant political maneuver and an example of the policy of double standards," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at the daily briefing.
Lai, Wang said, "is the main planner and participant in the anti-China and destabilizing incidents in Hong Kong. He is an agent and pawn of the anti-China forces, as well as the behind-the-scenes manipulator of the Hong Kong unrest, which has disrupted the prosperity and stability of the former British colony.
Hong Kong law enforcement agencies "handle cases impartially and judicial authorities conduct fair and
legal trials," the spokesperson continued.
The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong has also spoken out on the issue, which, in response to
the support for Lai expressed by US, British and European officials, has had words of "strong condemnation and firm opposition", noting that criticism of the trial "blatantly denigrates the rule of law in Hong Kong and interferes with normal judicial processes" in the city.
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