Written by Jesse Pang and Edward Cho
(Reuters) – Hong Kong media mogul and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai He is on trial for endangering China’s national security.
Mr. Lai, 76, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of collusion with foreign powers, which carries a possible life sentence, and a lesser charge of conspiracy to publish inflammatory material.
A month after the high-profile trial, prosecutors revealed Lai’s alleged collusion with foreign powers, including meetings with U.S. officials in Washington during the Donald Trump era. It is said that
Why is it important?
The case is widely seen as a landmark national security case after the Chinese government imposed new laws on the financial hub in 2020 following months of protests in 2019.
Lai has long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party and is the highest-profile person to be prosecuted under the law. Diplomats are closely monitoring developments.
Hong Kong’s former colonial rulers, Britain and the United States, have called for Lai’s immediate release, saying the incident was politically motivated. Hong Kong authorities say Lai will receive a fair trial.
What is the prosecution’s case?
Prosecutor Anthony Chau described Lai as an “extremist” and said he was a central figure in a conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publish inflammatory content in the Apple Daily newspaper he founded.
Mr. Chau said Mr. Lai used the “pretext of fighting for freedom and democracy” to call on foreign countries, especially the United States, to impose sanctions and engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong and China. he claimed.
The court cited Mr. Lai’s alleged collusion as an example of Mr. Trump’s meeting with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington in July 2019 to discuss the extradition bill proposed by the Hong Kong government. The court heard that it was cited.
The bill would allow Hong Kong people to be sent to mainland China to be tried in Communist Party-controlled courts. This sparked massive pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and was withdrawn.
Who is the prosecution associated with LAI?
Prosecutors say Lai’s agents and intermediaries include former US Army General Jack Keene, former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Hong Kong Watch rights group founder Benedict Rogers, and former US Consul General to Hong Kong James. – Listed Mr. Cunningham et al. Cunningham and Rogers, commenting from outside Hong Kong, said Lai’s interactions were normal and legal.
Prosecutors also identified a syndicate led by Lai that included activists, his inner circle, rights activists, Japanese lawmakers and U.S. financiers. According to the indictment, these individuals communicated with the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Czech Republic, Portugal, and Ireland to impose sanctions or take other hostile actions against Hong Kong and China. It is said that
Prosecutors described Lai as the “mastermind and financier of the syndicate’s high command.”
One of the conspiracy charges alleges that Mr. Lai has ties to a group prosecutors have named Stand with Hong Kong Fight for Freedom (SWHK), which urges countries to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.
Prosecutors said Mr. Lai’s personal assistant, Mark Simon, a U.S. citizen, carried out Mr. Lai’s instructions and scrutinized requests for financial assistance.
Prosecutors say SWHK invited foreign politicians to Hong Kong to observe protests and monitor local elections in 2019, while sponsoring students to meet politicians in Geneva, Berlin, Paris, London and Washington. Was.
Prosecutors also allege that Lai conspired with foreign powers to run Apple Daily along with three of its subsidiaries, six former executives affiliated with the paper, and staffers Mark Simon, Nick Cheung, and Simon Lee. He said that he used it as a platform for
They cited 161 inflammatory Apple articles. The newspaper ceased publication on June 24, 2021 following a police raid.
What happens next?
Prosecutors are currently reading statements. The defense will then challenge the admissibility of expert witness and scholar Wang Guiguo’s testimony regarding the impact of sanctions.
A total of 15 witnesses are scheduled to take the stand for the prosecution, including paralegal Zhang Ziwa, who is said to have been used by Lai as an intermediary, and SWHK co-founder Andy Li.
Lai’s international lawyers earlier this month appealed to United Nations experts on torture over his treatment in mainland China’s prisons.
The case will be heard by three judges selected from a panel of national security judges selected by the Hong Kong Chief Executive.
(Reporting by Jessie Pang and Edward Cho; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Neil Fullick)
