Media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong trial starts as U.S., U.K. urge his release
The Hindu
The trial - scheduled to be heard in open court over the next 80 working days - will be closely watched as a barometer for Hong Kong’s political freedoms and judicial independence.
Pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai went on trial in Hong Kong Monday for national security charges that could see him jailed for life, with the United States and Britain demanding his release.
Lai, 76, stands accused of “collusion” with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the finance hub in 2020.
He is the founder of the now-shuttered Chinese-language tabloid Apple Daily, which often criticised Beijing and supported the huge protest movement that roiled Hong Kong in 2019.
The trial - scheduled to be heard in open court over the next 80 working days - will be 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 will be tried without a jury and has been previously denied his choice of lawyer.
On Monday, Lai -- who has not been publicly seen since 2021 -- appeared in court in a suit, and smiled and waved at the gallery where his family sat.
Lai is also a British citizen, and representatives from foreign consulates of the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada were present to observe the start of the trial.
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