US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would like to see the release of Jimmy Lai, the jailed Hong Kong media mogul, according to Reuters.
Lai was arrested in August 2020.
Why was Jimmy Lai arrested?
He faces two charges of “conspiracy to collude with foreign powers” under Hong Kong’s national security law, which Beijing imposed after large and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. The charges stem from his pro-democracy activism and his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper’s critical stance against the Chinese government. Prosecutors say he incited anti-government protests and urged foreign countries to sanction Hong Kong and China.
The judges concluded hearing evidence and legal arguments from both sides in August this year, marking a key stage in the extensive trial, which began in December 2023. According to AFP, Judge Esther Toh said: “We will inform the parties in due course” of when the verdict will be announced.
The defense said Lai was experiencing “palpitations” and had an incident where he felt like he was “collapsing”. After being prescribed medication and fitted with a heart rate monitor, the tycoon continued to attend the hearing without showing any visible discomfort.
He pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to conspire with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material. If convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law, he faces a potential life sentence, according to Reuters.
Who is Jimmy Lai?
After fleeing China to what was then British Hong Kong in the 1950s, Lai gradually built a vast business empire over the following decades. His ventures included the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.
Lai was hailed as one of Hong Kong’s most remarkable figures before facing a national security trial. He was one of the few members of Hong Kong’s business elite who openly criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which took control of the city in 1997, and actively supported the pro-democracy movement.
Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in the UK, noted that Lai’s activism made him a likely target for legal action.
“From Beijing’s point of view, Jimmy Lai stands out as the most prominent and (most) enduring tycoon who has used his fortune to support the democracy movement in Hong Kong, thereby challenging the authority of the CCP. This makes Lai a traitor to them who must be severely punished,” Al Jazeera quoted Tsang as saying, adding that Chinese authorities must be in Lai-profilerebhighi considered traitors. a way to intimidate others into following the same path”.
The position of the Hong Kong government
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government said Lai’s case is being “handled strictly based on the evidence and in accordance with the law” and described criticism of the process as a “smear campaign”. The authorities also warned that commenting on the case could be seen as “an attempt to interfere with the court’s exercise of judicial power independently” and could “constitute perversion of the court”.
Hong Kong officials have repeatedly defended the national security law against criticism from Western governments and human rights groups, saying the law was necessary to restore peace and stability to the former British colony after protests turned violent in 2019.
