National security trial of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai: what's happened so far

HONG KONG — 

Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocator Jimmy Lai, 76, testified successful tribunal for the archetypal clip connected Wednesday successful his landmark nationalist information trial, accused of endangering China's nationalist information by colluding with overseas forces.

Lai was archetypal arrested, nether the nationalist information instrumentality successful August 2020, and has spent overmuch of the clip since successful prison. He besides faces abstracted sedition charges linked to his newspaper.

The prosecution has accused Lai of alleged collusion with overseas forces, which it says included meetings with U.S. officials successful Washington during the presidency of Donald Trump, calling for sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials.

Lai has pleaded not blameworthy to 2 charges of conspiracy to collude with overseas forces and a complaint of conspiracy to people seditious material.

Why does it matter?

The proceedings is wide seen arsenic a landmark nationalist information lawsuit aft Beijing imposed sweeping information laws connected Hong Kong successful 2020 pursuing months of pro-democracy protests successful 2019.

Lai, a longstanding professional of the Chinese Communist Party, is 1 of the astir high-profile figures to look prosecution nether the law. Diplomats are actively observing the tribunal hearings successful idiosyncratic with this lawsuit seen arsenic a cardinal trial for Hong Kong's judicial independence.

Hong Kong's erstwhile assemblage ruler Britain and the United States person condemned the proceedings and person called for Lai's contiguous release. Hong Kong officials accidental Lai volition person a just trial.

What is the prosecution's case?

Prosecutor Anthony Chau described Lai arsenic a "radical" and alleged helium was astatine the halfway of conspiracies to collude with overseas forces and people seditious worldly successful his Apple Daily newspaper.

Chau alleged that Lai utilized "the guise of warring for state and democracy" to petition that overseas countries, successful peculiar the United States, enforce sanctions oregon prosecute successful different hostile activities against Hong Kong and China.

The tribunal heard that 1 illustration of Lai's alleged collusion was July 2019 meetings helium held with U.S. President Donald Trump's then-vice president Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo astatine a clip erstwhile Hong Kong's wide pro-democracy and pro-democracy protests were intensifying.

Lai said successful giving his archetypal tribunal grounds connected Wednesday that helium had ne'er sought to power the overseas argumentation of different countries, specified arsenic the U.S., towards China and Hong Kong.

"I would not situation to inquire the vice president (Pence) to bash anything. I would conscionable relay to him what happened successful Hong Kong erstwhile helium asked me," Lai told the Hong Kong court.

Who is the prosecution linking with Lai?

The prosecution listed agents and intermediaries of Lai, including erstwhile U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, erstwhile U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong James Cunningham, and laminitis of the Hong Kong Watch rights radical Benedict Rogers. Commenting from extracurricular Hong Kong, Cunningham and Rogers said Lai's interactions were normal, ineligible activity.

Prosecutors besides said they had identified a syndicate led by Lai, which they said included activists, his aide, rights campaigners, a Japanese congresswoman and a U.S. financier.

The prosecution lawsuit says these radical contacted the U.S., Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Czech Republic, Portugal and Ireland to enforce sanctions oregon instrumentality different hostile actions against Hong Kong and China.

Prosecutors described Lai arsenic "the mastermind and fiscal protagonist astatine the highest level bid of the syndicate."

Lai, however, said helium had ne'er donated immoderate wealth to governmental parties overseas oregon successful Taiwan. He added that helium had lone donated wealth to U.S. thinktanks and spiritual groups.

One number of collusion said Lai had links to a radical the prosecution named arsenic "Stand With Hong Kong Fight For Freedom" (SWHK), which it said lobbied countries for sanctions connected China and Hong Kong.

Mark Simon, Lai's adjutant and a U.S. citizen, executed his instructions and vetted requests for fiscal support, according to prosecutors.

But Andy Li, a cardinal prosecution witnesser linked to SWHK, who had been jailed for 7 months successful a Chinese situation earlier the trial, said nether transverse introspection connected April 10 that helium had ne'er met nor contacted Lai, and had "never" received wealth from Lai nor from entities helium believed were associated with Lai.

Prosecutors besides accused Lai of utilizing Apple Daily arsenic a level to conspire with 3 of its subsidiaries, six erstwhile executives linked to the newspaper, and unit members Mark Simon and others to collude with overseas forces.

Lai, however, said helium seldom issued instructions oregon directions connected sum to the newsroom.

Cheung Kim-hung, the erstwhile CEO of Apple Daily's genitor institution Next Digital, told the tribunal helium had been instructed by Lai to telephone radical to articulation protests successful 2019, and to propulsion for sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Cheung denied being asked by the constabulary to go a prosecution witnesser portion remanded successful custody.