Hong Kong speaks at the trial of jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai for the first time in four years

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Jimmy LaiThe combative Hong Kong media mogul, whose now-shuttered tabloid Apple Daily has become a thorn in the side of Beijing, took the stand in his own defense for the first time Wednesday in a high-stakes national security case that could send him to prison for life.

The 77-year-old, known for his decades-long support of the city’s pro-democracy movement and outspoken criticism of China’s leaders, has not been heard from since his arrest nearly four years ago amid a deepening crackdown on dissidents.

Dressed in a green cardigan and brown jacket, a visibly thinner Lai smiled and waved to a public gallery full of supporters as he entered the courtroom alongside police officers. His wife and daughter were seated next to Cardinal Joseph Zen, the outspoken former bishop of Hong Kong and friend of Lai.

He faces charges of collusion with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law introduced in 2020 that has transformed Hong Kong, as well as a separate charge of sedition. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

In his defense, Lai emphasized that he had always opposed violence during the anti-government protests in 2019 and called the idea of ​​defending the independence of Hong Kong and Taiwan “crazy”. Both issues are considered anathema by Beijing and are seen as “red lines”.

The businessman described allegations that he lobbied for independence as a “conspiracy” to trap him, adding: “I would never allow any of our employees or newspapers to talk about this.” He told Apple Daily that he hasn’t hired anyone who advocates the idea.

In US courtrooms, defense attorneys often advise their clients not to testify in court. But in Hong Kong, court depositions offer detained democracy figures a chance to have their voices heard in a system where national security charges have resulted in months and years of pre-trial detention, as well as restrictions on speech.

on tuesday More than 40 of Hong Kong’s best-known pro-democracy figures They were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on subversion charges in a separate national security hearing. Among them was Joshua Wong, a former student leader and poster boy for the city’s once-thriving pro-democracy movement, who shouted “I love Hong Kong” before leaving the pier.

Lai’s statement came just weeks after Donald Trump, who had previously vowed to release the media mogul, won the White House and unveiled his proposal for a cabinet full of numerous China hawks.

Lai said he had never spoken to Trump at the podium, but he knew two people who had unofficial access to the first Trump administration. “I don’t think he knows me. I think his assistants know me and give him information about me,” said the former businessman.

In subsequent testimony, Lai named the two men as retired U.S. army general Jack Keane and former deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

Britain also called for the release of Lai, who carries a British passport. On Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the issue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil. “We are concerned about reports that Jimmy Lai’s condition has deteriorated,” Starmer told Xi in their first meeting.

High profile trial

Lai has been in prison and awaiting trial since December 2020 on multiple charges linked to his support for Hong Kong’s democracy protest movement through his media business. He was the founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy, anti-Beijing newspaper. close In 2021.

The trial, which began in December 2023, was the highest-profile case against a Hong Kong media figure since the city was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997. The case restarts after a long break, following an unsuccessful attempt by Lai’s lawyers. Have the charges dismissed.

As nearly 100 people lined up in the cold rain to testify at the hearing Wednesday morning, some expressed their support for the media mogul.

Chiu Mei-ying, a woman in her 70s, said she appeared in court at 4 a.m. this morning. “Lai represents the spirit of Hong Kong,” he told CNN. “There is no real news (to read) after Apple Daily shuts down.”

On Wednesday, Lai began his defense by saying what Apple Daily calls his core values ​​include the rule of law and the pursuit of democracy and civil liberties.

He also described how Beijing built its media empire after its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy Tiananman Square protests in 1989.

As a businessman who had made “some money,” he said he wanted to get involved in disseminating information to the public. “The more information you have, the more knowledge you have, the more freedom you have,” he told the court.

Prosecutors allege that articles published by Apple Daily violated Hong Kong’s national security law by calling for sanctions abroad against the city’s leaders following the introduction of the national security law in 2020.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials say the law, enacted after anti-government protests in 2019, “restores stability” and closes loopholes that allowed “foreign powers” to undermine China.

But critics say it destroys Hong Kong’s freedoms and changes the city’s legal structure.

Like all national security cases in Hong Kong, Lai’s trial does not have a jury and is presided over by three judges selected from a national security committee approved by the Hong Kong leader.

Foreign lobbying

Lai, a businessman who made his fortune selling clothes before becoming a publisher, has long been a thorn in Beijing’s side by openly using Apple Daily as a tool to criticize Chinese leaders since its founding in 1995.

Lai, who is known to be a devout Catholic and a strong supporter of Trump, had lobbied extensively abroad for foreign governments to put pressure on China over Hong Kong; This infuriated leaders in Beijing. At the height of the protests in 2019, Lai traveled to Washington where he then Vice President Mike Pence and other USA politicians To discuss the political situation in Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Lai said at the podium that he told Pence to “speak out in support of Hong Kong” without calling for specific action. “I wouldn’t dare ask the vice president to do anything,” he said.

Lai has long believed that Trump and the US government should not shy away from supporting Hong Kong’s civil liberties, which are key to the city’s status as a conduit between China and international markets.

“Mr. President, you are the only one who can save us,” Lai said. Interview with CNN in 2020 weeks before his arrest. “If you save us, you can stop China’s aggression. “You too can save the world.”

Prosecutors argued that Lai’s actions and the publication of his newspaper amounted to lobbying for sanctions against Beijing and Hong Kong, which was prohibited by the national security law. Lai stopped doing so after the national security law came into force on June 30, 2020, his lawyers said.

US government during Trump’s first term as president Hong Kong’s special trading status terminated and enacted a law allowing sanctions against city officials over China’s crackdown on Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s current leader, John Lee, who was the city’s security chief during landmark protests in 2019, is among those at the meeting. US sanctions listIt also includes the city’s former leader and current chief judge.

One press conference Earlier this month, Lee did not directly answer questions about how he would handle Trump’s return to the presidency. He said the city should “respect non-interference in its local affairs and internal affairs” and said Hong Kong values ​​the rule of law.

“We want mutual respect with all countries, including the United States, because trade is beneficial to both sides,” Lee said.

Conservative podcast host last month Hugh Hewitt He asked Trump if he could talk to Xi and release Lai if he were re-elected.

Trump responded, “100%, I’ll get him out,” and said it would be “very easy” to release the detained media mogul, without providing further details.

But Chinese and Hong Kong leaders have long bristled at any criticism of Western governments’ crackdown on national security in Hong Kong and have repeatedly condemned Lai in statements both before and during the hearing.

“Jimmy Lai is a major instigator of anti-China activities, and his collusion with foreign powers to disrupt Hong Kong and incite division is well known,” China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said in a statement last week. he said. “Hong Kong courts conduct fair trials of acts that threaten national security, which is a necessary step to protect both national security and the rule of law.”

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