Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai tells court he championed 'freedom'

HONG KONG — 

Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai insisted his paper had championed ideology and "freedom" arsenic helium took the witnesser basal for the archetypal clip successful his collusion proceedings connected Wednesday.

Lai's lawsuit is 1 of the astir salient prosecuted nether the nationalist information instrumentality imposed by Beijing successful 2020, with Western countries and rights groups demanding his release.

The 76-year-old laminitis of tabloid Apple Daily is accused of colluding with overseas forces, a complaint that could transportation a condemnation of up to beingness successful prison.

The lawsuit centers astir articles successful the paper that supported huge, sometimes convulsive pro-democracy protests successful 2019 and criticized Beijing's leadership.

On Wednesday, Lai insisted that "the halfway values of Apple Daily are really the halfway values of the radical of Hong Kong... (including) regularisation of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, state of speech, state of religion, state of assembly".

He said helium had entered the media concern due to the fact that "to enactment successful delivering state is simply a precise bully thought for me... The much you are successful the know, the much you are free."

But helium said helium opposed unit and was not an advocator of Hong Kong independence, calling it "too brainsick to deliberation about."

Lai did not look to beryllium successful sick wellness arsenic helium stood successful the dock, flanked by 4 situation officers and waving to radical successful the nationalist gallery.

His grounds comes with Hong Kong's governmental freedoms already nether the spotlight aft a tribunal jailed 45 ideology campaigners for subversion successful the city's largest nationalist information proceedings connected Tuesday.

'Deserves admiration'

Lai has been down bars since December 2020, and concerns person been raised astir his aesculapian and jailhouse conditions.

He has not opted to attest successful immoderate of his 5 erstwhile cases, each of which resulted successful convictions, including for organizing and participating successful marches during the 2019 ideology protests.

Outside the tribunal successful pouring rainfall connected Wednesday, an 80-year-old retiree named Liu told AFP Lai "deserves our admiration."

"He has a batch of money, helium could person near anytime, but helium didn't due to the fact that helium felt a responsibility," Liu said.

Hong Kong and Beijing person rejected disapproval of the case, condemning Lai arsenic "a voluntary governmental instrumentality of overseas forces trying to curb China done Hong Kong."

The lawsuit against him revolves astir 161 articles published successful Apple Daily arsenic good arsenic his ain interviews and societal media postings.

The paper was forced to adjacent successful 2021 aft constabulary raids and the arrests of its elder editors.

'Hostile activities'

Since the prosecution opened successful January, it has alleged that Lai connected aggregate occasions asked the United States and different countries to enforce sanctions "or prosecute successful different hostile activities" against China and Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Lai was asked astir his contacts with politicians and different figures from places including the United States, Britain and Taiwan.

Asked whether helium tried to power overseas argumentation connected Hong Kong and China via a database of overseas contacts compiled by prosecutors, Lai answered "never."

Lai said helium had met erstwhile U.S. vice president Mike Pence successful 2019 and asked the Republican to "say thing successful support" of Hong Kong.

But helium insisted helium hadn't asked Pence to instrumentality action, saying it was "beyond me."

Questioned if helium had ever "communicated straight oregon indirectly" with then-president Donald Trump, Lai said no.

Lai holds British citizenship, and past period Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament the lawsuit was "a priority" for his Labour government.

Starmer raised the contented successful a gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping connected Monday.

Health concerns

Lai's lad had antecedently said "much stronger" enactment from the British authorities was needed arsenic Lai's wellness "could get overmuch worse astatine immoderate moment."

A ineligible squad led by a elder British rights lawyer has filed a fig of complaints to the United Nations concerning arbitrary detention and prolonged solitary confinement.

On Sunday, the Hong Kong authorities condemned the ineligible squad for "spreading misinformation," saying Lai himself had requested to beryllium kept isolated from different inmates.

Robertsons, a Hong Kong instrumentality steadfast representing Lai successful the trial, has brushed disconnected immoderate of the allegations.

"Mr. Lai wishes to marque known that helium has been receiving due aesculapian attraction for conditions suffered by him, including diabetes," the steadfast said successful a connection successful September.

"He has entree to daylight done the windows successful the corridor extracurricular his cell, albeit helium cannot spot the sky. He exercises for an hr each time successful a unafraid area."