The highly anticipated trial of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, who has been charged with “colluding with foreign forces,” has commenced in Hong Kong. The 76-year-old, who has been incarcerated since December 2020 and faces a possible life sentence if found guilty, is among more than 250 activists, lawmakers, and protesters incarcerated under National Security Law (NSL) and sedition charges since 2020. The NSL, which China has been accused of using to quash dissent, was implemented in 2020 in response to significant pro-democracy protests.
Beijing asserts that the law is essential for maintaining order and fighting unrest, but critics contend that it is yet another example of its increasing control over Hong Kong. Mr. Lai, who founded and managed several of Hong Kong’s most well-known media outlets, including Apple Daily, is also being charged with sedition under a colonial-era law based on his tweets, interviews, and articles published in the now-defunct newspaper he owned.
Mr. Lai’s international legal team has told the BBC that he has been denied a fair trial. A member of Mr. Lai’s London-based legal team, Jonathan Price, described the proceedings as “lawfare.” Mr. Lai’s lawyers point out that he was prohibited from appointing a UK lawyer by Beijing and that he is being tried by three judges handpicked by Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron called for Mr. Lai’s release, stating he is “gravely concerned that anyone is facing prosecution under the National Security Law” and particularly concerned about “the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai.”
Mr. Lai, who was born into a wealthy family in southern China, fled to Hong Kong as a stowaway when he was 12 years old. After decades of political activism and media work, he was jailed for the first time in Hong Kong for 13 months for participating in a prohibited vigil after Beijing sent tanks to quash pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Mr. Lai’s trial, which has been postponed for a year, is expected to last about 80 days
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