One of the main faces of Hong Kong’s pro-Democracy scene, British citizen and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, has started testifying in court.
It is the first time he has spoken in court in a case that has been delayed for years.
Lai, 77, has been charged under Hong Kong’s national security law with two counts of conspiracy to commit foreign collusion and one count of publishing seditious material.
He is accused of asking the US and other foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and mainland China. Lai has denied all charges.
The publisher’s testimony began with an explanation about why he started the Apple Daily newspaper in the city.
He said the publication represented the “core values” of Hong Kong.
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Lai also discussed his participation in political activities including events commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Hong Kong authorities raided Apple Daily’s office and shut it down in 2021.
This came after the city was engulfed in pro-democracy demonstrations against an extradition law in 2019.
China insists the protests were “riots” that had brought parts of the city to a standstill.
The extradition law was later cancelled, the protest movement was quashed, and dissenters silenced.
On Tuesday, 45 activists received sentences ranging from four to 10 years for conspiracy to commit subversion after holding an unofficial primary election in the city in 2020.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said: “Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law.
“It is a basic principle that laws must be complied with and violations of the law must be punished, and no one can engage in unlawful activities in the name of democracy and attempt to escape from it.”
Lin Jian urged foreign countries not to interfere with China’s internal affairs.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the case of Jimmy Lai with China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 on Monday.
Sir Keir has previously said securing the release of Lai is a “priority for the government”.
US president-elect Donald Trump has pledged “100%” to secure Lai’s freedom.
Lai has already spent four years in prison. He was found guilty on fraud charges in 2020 and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The charges he now faces under the territory’s national security law could see him handed a life sentence.