HONG KONG – A landmark national security trial opened in Hong Kong on Monday for prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai, who faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a law used by Beijing to crush dissent.
Lai, 76, was arrested in August 2020 during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement under the sweeping National Security Law enacted after mass protests four years ago. He is accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to publish seditious publications.
The closely watched case – linked to the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which Lai founded – is widely seen as a test of press freedom and the independence of the judiciary in the Asian financial hub.
China promised that the former British colony could retain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years after returning to Chinese rule in 1997. But in recent years, the Hong Kong government has severely restricted freedom of speech and assembly and virtually eliminated political opposition under the pretext of maintaining national security. Many leading activists have been arrested, silenced or forced into self-exile.
Lai’s trial is Hong Kong’s first on charges of collaborating with foreign forces. It also targets three companies linked to Apple Daily.
Lai smiled at his supporters as he entered the courtroom. Some members of the public waved at Lai to show their support. Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen, a vocal advocate of democracy in the city, was among those present.
Three government-appointed judges are overseeing the proceedings. The trial is expected to last around 80 days.
Last year, six former Apple Daily executives pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, admitting in court that they had conspired with Lai to call for sanctions or other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. They were convicted and are behind bars awaiting sentencing.
Some of the former executives are expected to testify against Lai, along with two others who also pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
There was a heavy police presence outside the courthouse. Dozens of local residents lined up hours before the hearing began.
Jolly Chung, 29, was among the first in line, saying she would try to get inside to watch the proceedings if she could.
“As a Hong Konger, I want to witness this, even though I know he will lose,” she said.
Andy Sung, in his 40s, said he had come to witness history. “The decision to come here is a small exercise in a kind of resistance,” he said.
Lai’s trial was originally due to start last December, but was postponed while the Hong Kong government appealed to Beijing to effectively block his attempt to hire a British defence lawyer. City authorities then barred the lawyer, Timothy Owen, from representing Lai, saying he was likely to pose a national security risk.
Last week, Lai’s son Sebastien met with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to ask for Britain’s help in freeing his father, who has British citizenship.
Cameron said in a statement that the security law was a ‘clear breach’ of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and that its continued use showed that China had broken its international obligations.
British and Chinese authorities signed the agreement in 1984, stipulating that Hong Kong would retain a high degree of autonomy and freedoms for 50 years.
Cameron said he was particularly concerned about the ‘politically motivated prosecution’ of Lai. He urged Chinese officials to repeal the security law and release Lai.
“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.
The US condemned the persecution of Lai and urged authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing to respect press freedom, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
“We call on the Hong Kong authorities to immediately release Jimmy Lai and all others detained for defending their rights,” he said.
The leaders of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China said in a statement that the trial was ‘political persecution, pure and simple, and another sad example of the Hong Kong government’s increasingly repressive policies’. They also called for Lai’s release and urged the authorities to drop the charges against him.
Hong Kong, once seen as a bastion of media freedom in Asia, was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index. The group said the city had suffered an “unprecedented setback” since 2020, when the Security Bill was introduced.
Online news outlet Stand News, known for its outspoken criticism of the Hong Kong government, was forced to close under the crackdown and its two former top editors were charged with sedition.
Both the Hong Kong and Chinese governments have praised the law for restoring stability to the city.