A Hong Kong court is set to deliver its verdict on Monday in the national security trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a case widely criticized as a sign of an erosion of political freedoms in the Chinese city.
Jimmy Lai, who turned 78 this week, was charged with colluding with foreign countries under Hong Kong’s national security law. Beijing implemented the law after massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The Apple Daily founder has been in jail since late 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement.
On Friday, reporters had begun queuing outside the West Kowloon Courthouse, waiting for Jimmy Lai’s verdict to be read out inside the court.
The hearing by the three-judge panel will begin at 10am (0200 GMT) on Monday, according to a court diary notice seen on Friday.
Previous hearings in Jimmy Lai’s case have often attracted large crowds of supporters and media, some of whom have been forced to watch live broadcasts of proceedings elsewhere in the court building because they were unable to enter the court.
In addition to the conspiracy charge – which could have sent him to prison for life – Lai was also charged with “seditious publications”, with prosecutors citing 161 articles, including op-eds bearing Lai’s signature.
Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids and the arrest of its top editor.
-“Fake”-
The massive trial, which begins in December 2023, has drawn criticism from Western countries and human rights groups, who have called for Jimmy Lai’s release.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed outrage on Friday at the “short notice” verdict, denouncing the trial as “arbitrary and illegal”.
“This trial can only be described as a sham and has nothing to do with the rule of law,” the group said in a statement, calling on Britain and the United States to pressure Beijing to release him.
“This verdict not only determines Jimmy Lai’s fate, but also determines the future of press freedom in Hong Kong,” the statement said.
Hong Kong authorities rejected criticism of Jimmy Lai, saying his case was “handled strictly in accordance with the law and based on evidence.”
Throughout the trial, Lai answered questions about his political ideology, management style and overseas connections.
He called himself a “political prisoner” at least twice, drawing rebukes from judges.
He also denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong and said he had never advocated separatism or violent resistance.
Jimmy Lai said in his testimony: “The core values ​​of Apple Daily are actually the core values ​​of the Hong Kong people… (including) the rule of law, freedom, the pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly.”
Lai’s son Sebastian, a British citizen, last week expressed new concerns about the tycoon’s health.
The Hong Kong government said last week that prison authorities “handle Jimmy Lai’s custody arrangements in the same manner as other detainees,” using the Romanized pinyin of Lai’s Chinese name.
A government spokesman added: “Lai’s legal representatives have also made it clear that Jimmy Lai has been receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison.”
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