Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong Media Scion, pleads not guilty to security charges

Jimmy Lai, a veteran pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to national security charges as prosecutors accused him of conspiring with U.S. and other foreign officials to destabilize the city and undermine Chinese sovereignty. undermine.

Mr Lai, 76, founder of Apple Daily, a popular anti-government newspaper, was arrested in 2020 and became one of the first high-profile targets of a national security law imposed by Beijing to crush the opposition. Mr Lai faces life in prison if convicted of national security offences, and his trial is seen as a test of the independence of the city’s judiciary.

As Mr Lai, wearing a navy blue blazer and white shirt, entered the courtroom, he smiled and waved to his wife and two children, who were sitting in the gallery, before taking a seat in a glass-encased dock.

On Tuesday, the chief prosecutor, Anthony Chau, began arguing his case by introducing evidence of what he described as Mr. Lai’s collusion with foreign forces, a vaguely defined political crime under the national security law. Mr Chau’s argument focused on meetings Mr Lai had with US politicians, messages he exchanged with officials, interviews he gave to the media and views he expressed on social media.

He presented a chart mapping the foreign policy connections of Mr. Lai, whom he met in 2019, including officials in the Trump administration such as then-Vice President Mike Pence and the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. as well as other politicians such as Nancy Pelosi, who had been Speaker of the House. Mr. Chau accused Mr. Lai of undermining national security by calling on U.S. officials to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in the city. Such an act is considered “hostile activity” against the governments of Hong Kong and China and is an offense under the national security law.

Mr Chau described Mr Lai as a “radical political figure who conspired with others to sow hatred and foment opposition.” Mr Chau said Mr Lai’s former employees at Apple Daily and Apple Daily owner Next Digital would testify against him in the trial.

The specific charges against Mr. Lai are “conspiracy with foreign forces” and a “conspiracy to conspire with foreign forces” under the National Security Law. He also faces a colonial-era sedition charge, relating to publications over a two-year period from April 1, 2019 to June 24, 2021.

Human rights activists, as well as the governments of the United States and Britain, have dismissed the charges against Mr. Lai as politically motivated and trumped up to silence a prominent critic of Beijing’s growing authoritarian grip on the city.

The prosecutor tried to show that Mr. Lai had significant influence in Washington, pointing to messages and WhatsApp groups on Mr. Lai’s phone that purported to show U.S. officials and human rights activists abroad asking for his views on the action against China.

Mr. Chau also cited as evidence an editorial by Mr. Lai, published in The New York Times in 2020, in which he described the rapid erosion of free speech in the city and listed ways to retaliate against Beijing for its suppression . The prosecutor also played video interviews that Mr. Lai was talking to reporters from BBC News, Bloomberg, Fox News And the Financial Times, explaining why he was calling on Western governments to impose sanctions.

The prosecution will continue its opening statements on Wednesday. The trial of Mr. Lai started two weeks ago and is expected to last at least 80 days. He is serving a five-year prison sentence for a separate fraud conviction.