Jimmy Lai trial: closing arguments start in Hong Kong trial of pro-democracy media mogul | Jimmy Lai

Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai’s nationwide safety trial, which started in late 2023, will enter its remaining levels on Thursday as attorneys current closing arguments.

The 77-year-old founding father of the Apple Every day newspaper is charged with overseas collusion underneath Hong Kong’s nationwide safety regulation, which Beijing imposed following large and generally violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Lai has been stored behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, with Western nations and rights teams calling for his launch.

Other than the collusion offence – which might land him in jail for all times – Lai can also be charged with “seditious publication” associated to 161 op-eds he allegedly wrote.

The tycoon gave spirited courtroom testimony over greater than 50 days in the course of the trial, fielding questions on his political ideology, administration fashion and abroad contacts.

Lai described himself not less than twice as a “political prisoner”, which drew sharp rebukes from the three-judge panel.

Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly rejected criticism associated to Lai, saying final month that his case was “dealt with strictly on the premise of proof and in accordance with the regulation”.

Antoine Bernard of Reporters With out Borders mentioned on Tuesday that Lai’s therapy “exposes the authorities’ ruthless dedication to silence and suppress one of the outstanding advocates for press freedom amid Hong Kong’s quickly deteriorating media panorama”.

Prosecutors confirmed the court docket a diagram titled “(Lai’s) exterior political connections”, arguing that he had exerted affect in america, Britain and Taiwan.

It featured headshots of high US political figures, together with president Donald Trump, his former deputy Mike Pence and ex-secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Former Taiwan chief Tsai Ing-wen was additionally amongst these named.

Two prosecution witnesses, Chan Tsz-wah and Andy Li, additionally accused Lai of financially backing the advocacy group “Stand With Hong Kong” to run abroad newspaper advertisements supporting the 2019 protests.

Lai has denied calling for sanctions towards China and Hong Kong and mentioned he by no means advocated separatism.

4 different individuals who held senior roles in Apple Every day had been referred to as upon by prosecutors to testify about how Lai formed the outlet’s political stance.

The mogul mentioned his newspaper championed democracy and freedom, including that he had all the time disavowed violence.

“The core values of Apple Every day are literally the core values of the individuals of Hong Kong… (together with) rule of regulation, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of faith, freedom of meeting,” Lai mentioned on the primary day of his testimony.

Apple Every day was pressured to shut in 2021 after police raids and the arrests of its senior editors.

Lai is a British citizen and his son Sebastien reiterated in March requires British prime minister Keir Starmer to do extra, saying: “I don’t need my father to die in jail.”

Judges have indicated {that a} verdict may very well be reached by October.