HONG KONG (Reuters) -The closing submissions in Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s marathon national security trial concluded on Thursday, in a case that has drawn global attention as a crucial test of the rule of law in the Chinese-ruled financial hub.
A verdict is yet to be given in the 156-day trial that began in December 2023. The case has become the most high-profile example of China’s crackdown on rights and freedoms in the Asian financial hub under a sweeping national security law that was imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
When asked to give an indication of the verdict date, one of the judges Esther Toh said this would be announced “in good time”.
The 77-year-old Lai, who is the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material.
Some countries such as the U.S. say the trial is politically motivated and have demanded Lai’s immediate release. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say he is being given a fair trial.
Lai, who faces possible life imprisonment, stands accused of using the Apple Daily as a platform to conspire with six former executives and others to produce seditious publications between April 2019 and June 2021, and to collude with foreign forces, including the U.S., between July 2020 and June 2021.
He was accused of conspiring with activist Andy Li, paralegal Chan Tsz-wah and others to invite foreign countries to impose sanctions, blockades and other hostile activities against Hong Kong and China. He was also accused of financing advocacy group Stand with Hong Kong.
(Reporting by Jessie Pang and James Pomfret; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Saad Sayeed)
