In a nationwide safety test that may result in his life sentence, Jimmy Lai, one of Hong Kong’s most powerful pro-democracy images, will appear on Wednesday.
The 76-year-old chairman of the now-defunct Hong Kong magazine Apple Daily is accused of conspiring with foreigners by using his media app to oppose the government.
Even though he has gone through numerous trials since 2020, which are all commonly believed to be politically motivated given Beijing’s tightening grip on the city, he has this time testifying in court.
Lai said on Wednesday that Apple Daily represented Hong Kong’s principles, including “freedom]and the] achievement of democracy”.
His hearing comes one day after the sentencing of 45 pro-democracy campaigners – part of a group known as the Hong Kong 47 – in the city’s largest trial under the controversial national security law.
According to allegations in Lai’s ongoing trial, Apple Daily reported that Beijing thought the city’s pro-democracy protests threatened regional stability in 2019, led to publication of articles supporting them.
On Wednesday, Lai claimed that he was against violence and that he thought it was” very crazy to think about” forbidding Hong Kong’s freedom.
He continued,” The people of Hong Kong actually have the core values of Apple Daily.”
These ideals, he said, include the “rule of laws, flexibility, pursuit of politics, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assemblage”.
Lai has been in solitary confinement since late 2020 after earlier receiving a jail sentence for a crime like unauthorised council and fraud.
On Wednesday night, dozens of people gathered outside the court to show their support for the advertising tycoon.
Similar crowds gathered on Tuesday for the Hong Kong 47’s punishment, which included Joshua Wong and Benny Tai, two of the biggest names in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
The trial of Lai, who holds American citizenship, has captured worldwide interest, with rights groups and international governments urging his discharge.
US President-elect Donald Trump said in a podcast in October that he would” 100 %” get Lai out of China- a claim that was met with calls for “mutual respect” from Hong Kong’s leader John Lee.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has described Lai as a “priority” for his government, expressed concerns about Lai’s “deterioration” when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro this week.
Lai’s household and legal team had raised concerns about his health, citing new court appearances as evidence of his fat loss and growing illness.