The trial of Hong Kong’s famous activist Jimmy Lai, under China’s crackdown on dissidents, has been delayed for over a year. It’s seen as a test for judicial independence and press freedom.
The trial of Hong Kong’s most famous activist publisher, Jimmy Lai, who was arrested under China’s crackdown on dissidents, is set to begin Monday after being delayed for more than a year. Now, his own freedom is at stake as he faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a national security law imposed by Beijing following the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Lai is charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to publish seditious publications in a case seen by many as a trial for press freedom and a test for judicial independence in the former British colony.
Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, was smuggled into Hong Kong at age 12 and later became an outspoken advocate for democracy. Apple Daily, known for its sometimes outrageous coverage of politics and celebrities, quickly became one of the city’s top-selling newspapers with a strong pro-democracy stance. The newspaper was forced to shut down in June 2021 after Lai was arrested and the authorities raided its offices, accusing them of foreign collusion to endanger national security. As Lai awaits his security trial, he is serving a term of five years and nine months over fraud charges linked to lease violations in a separate case.
Lai’s trial is Hong Kong’s first on charges of collusion with foreign forces, and he also faces sedition charges. Six former Apple Daily executives who were also charged with collusion entered guilty pleas last year, admitting they conspired with Lai to call for sanctions or blockade against Hong Kong or China. The case, according to Eric Lai, a research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law, will impact whether ordinary advocacy activities with foreign parties constitute a crime in the future, saying, “The issue of press freedom, the issue of free expressions, and the issue of free political participation, even overseas, would be tried.”
Source : Hong Kong Publisher to Stand Trial This Week Under Beijing’s Dissident Crackdown
