2LT International News

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court has said it will announce the verdict in media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s national security trial at a later date, after hearing final arguments on August 28. The case has gained international attention, with many calling it a key test of Hong Kong’s legal system under Chinese rule.

The trial, which started in December 2023 and lasted 156 days, is the most high-profile case brought under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law. Beijing imposed this law in 2020 after the large pro-democracy protests of 2019 and has been widely criticized as a tool to silence dissent.

Lai, 77, is the founder of the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. He faces two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He has pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, he could face life in prison.

Prosecutors accuse Lai of using Apple Daily to conspire with six former executives and others to publish material that encouraged foreign countries to take action against China and Hong Kong. He is also accused of working with activists such as Andy Li and paralegal Chan Tsz-wah to seek sanctions and blockades from governments, including the U.S., Britain, and Japan. In addition, he is alleged to have funded the advocacy group Stand with Hong Kong.

Lai’s lawyers strongly denied these claims. Defense lawyer Marc Corlett argued there was no proof that Lai organized or directed any of the activities after the national security law came into force. He described Chan, one of the prosecution’s key witnesses, as a “serial liar” and said activist Andy Li acted on his own without instructions from Lai.

Corlett also said that simply following Twitter accounts of groups critical of Beijing did not mean Lai supported them. Another lawyer, Robert Pang, argued that the 161 articles cited by the prosecution were not seditious and that the press must be given wide freedom to report and comment.

Pang insisted that Lai’s social media posts and online discussions were just personal opinions. He compared them to casual political conversations in Hong Kong diners. However, Judge Esther Toh disagreed, saying public online forums carry different weight and that freedom of speech always has limits.

While the United States and other countries say Lai is being punished for his political views, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities insist he is receiving a fair trial. The verdict date will be announced later.