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Prominent pro-democracy advocate and media tycoon Jimmy Lai testified for the first time in a Hong Kong courtroom on Wednesday as part of his ongoing national security trial.
Mr Lai, the founder of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, faces charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials.
The 76-year old British-Hong Kong national is among the most high-profile figures targeted under the China-imposed national security law, while his paper was forced to shut operations in 2021.
His testimony in court comes just a day after Hong Kong jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years in a separate national security case.
Speaking at the West Kowloon Magistrates Court, Mr Lai described how his principles, centred on the rule of law and freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly, shaped the newspaper’s mission.
“We were always in support of movements for freedom,” Mr Lai said, addressing a packed courtroom while dressed in a grey blazer.
Around 100 people queued in the pouring rain huddled beneath umbrellas to secure a place in the , with hundreds of police deployed around the building.
Mr Lai faces two counts of conspiracy to collude under Hong Kong’s controversial national security law, alongside a separate charge of conspiracy to produce seditious publications, has denied charges.
If found guilty, he could face a life sentence.
The trial, which began last December, has already seen six co-defendants, including senior staff from Apple Daily and its parent company Next Digital, plead guilty. They admitted to working with Mr Lai to request foreign nations or organisations to impose sanctions or take hostile actions against Hong Kong and Beijing.
Supporters have rallied around Mr Lai, viewing him as a symbol of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. “Apple Daily was the voice of many Hong Kongers,” said William Wong, 64, a retiree who attended the trial. “It’s my political expression to let him know I support him. He’s done a lot for Hong Kong.”
Mr Lai has been in pre-trial detention for over 1,400 days and is already serving a five-year, nine-month sentence for a separate fraud case related to a lease dispute involving Apple Daily.
The charges stem from Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in July 2020, following months of pro-democracy protests that rocked the city in 2019. Critics argue the law has been used to stifle dissent and target press freedom in the former British colony.
Wednesday’s hearing drew diplomats from the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Switzerland, and Ireland, underscoring the case’s international significance. The US government has condemned Mr Lai’s prosecution, calling for his immediate release.
Additional reporting by agencies
