The judges in the trial of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai on Thursday retired to consider their verdict on three national security charges that could see the 77-year-old pro-democracy firebrand jailed for life.
Lai, the outspoken founder of the Apple Daily – a tabloid newspaper known for blistering broadsides against the Chinese Communist party – has become a symbol of Beijing’s sweeping national security crackdown on Hong Kong.
He is accused of using the now-shuttered Apple Daily to call for sanctions against Hong Kong and China during the huge anti-government protests that roiled the finance hub in 2019 and after the law was introduced the following year.
Lai pleaded not guilty to a sedition charge and two counts of colluding with foreign forces, a crime punishable by life in prison under the national security law.
Lai was dressed in a white shirt and beige blazer at Thursday’s court appearance. Looking noticeably thinner than earlier appearances, he smiled and waved at supporters in the public gallery before being led out of the dock by prison officers
