A heavy security presence and dozens of supporters surrounded a Hong Kong court on Monday morning as the national security trial of media mogul and activist, Jimmy Lai, got under way.
Lai’s trial, expected to last months, is one of the most high profile prosecutions in the Hong Kong government’s crackdown on opposition, and has been widely condemned by rights groups and other governments.
The 76-year-old pro-democracy activist and founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, has been accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, and conspiring to publish seditious material.
If convicted – a prospect observers say is likely – he faces a sentence of up to life in prison. His case will be heard before three national security judges handpicked by the government, Esther Toh, Susana D’Almada Remedios and Alex Lee.
Lai arrived at the West Kowloon Court about 7.30am Monday, driven through the gates in a Correctional Services van. By 8.15am about 100 people had lined up for public gallery seats, ahead of the trial beginning at 10am. Some had waited for hours. People wearing flag pins from Australia, UK and Canada were among those in line.
Lai was led to the dock shortly after 10am. Flanked by corrections officers, he wore a grey suit jacket, and reportedly waved to the public gallery and smiled at his supporters.
Some members of the public waved at Lai to show their support. Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen, a vocal democracy advocate in the city, was among the attendees.
Hong Kong’s security chief, Chris Tang, had flagged a large police presence for the trial, in apparent anticipation of protesters, and officers had been stationed outside the court since Sunday.
Officers vastly outnumbered civilian attenders, equipped with bomb-sniffing dogs, a Chinese-made “Sabretooth” armoured vehicle, and a bomb-disposal van stationed nearby.
A university student from the mainland said he had been there for about an hour. He said he had read about Lai on X and was curious how the trial would go.
“I think people shouldn’t be sentenced for their speech,” the politics student who declined to share his name said.
A woman in the line, who also declined to give her name, said she had been following the news about Lai closely. The retiree said she had never been to court before and did not know what to expect.
Veteran activist Alexandra “Grandma” Wong was encircled by several police officers with cordon tape while across the road from the court building. She was holding a British flag, which she became well known for carrying during the protests in Hong Kong in 2019.
Among the queue were several law students from the University of Hong Kong, who said they were there to observe the trial against Lai as a study of the national security law.
Lai has been in jail since December 2020 and is now serving a sentence of more than five years on fraud charges for violating a lease contract, a charge his supporters say was politically motivated.
In August 2020 he was arrested and later charged with the national security law violations for which he is now on trial. The UK government at the time called the charges “highly politicised”.
On Sunday, the UK foreign secretary and former prime minister, David Cameron, condemned the “politically motivated prosecution” and called for Lai’s release.
“Hong Kong’s national security law is a clear breach of the Sino-British joint declaration. Its continued existence and use is a demonstration of China breaking its international commitments,” Cameron said.
“As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Jimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.”
The US state department also condemned the trial, noting as well that Lai was denied his choice of legal counsel. It called for his release, as well as “all others imprisoned for defending their rights”.
The national security law was imposed by Beijing – with the blessing of the Hong Kong government – in June 2020, in response to the previous year’s mass pro-democracy protests. Hundreds of people have since been arrested under its broad remit, which outlaws acts of sedition, secession, foreign collusion and terrorism. Critics have accused Hong Kong authorities of using it as a weapon to crush dissent.
Hong Kong authorities are pushing on, unmoved. Tang has previously praised the 100% conviction rate of the national security law, and last month said the open trial of Lai would allow the public to see how “bad” his alleged offences are.
