Jimmy Lai, one of Hong Kong's most influential pro-democracy figures, will appear in a national security trial on Wednesday that could see him sentenced to life in prison.
The 76-year-old founder of the now-defunct Hong Kong tabloid Apple Daily is accused of colluding with foreign forces by using his media platform to oppose the government.
It is the first time he has testified in court, although he has undergone several trials since 2020 – all widely seen as politically motivated amid Beijing's strengthening grip on the city.
Lai said on Wednesday that Apple Daily represented Hong Kong's values, including “freedom (and) the pursuit of democracy.”
His hearing comes a day after the conviction of 45 pro-democracy activists – part of a group known as the Hong Kong 47 – in the city's largest trial under the controversial national security law .
Lai's ongoing trial concerns allegations that Apple Daily published articles supporting the pro-democracy protests that rocked the city in 2019, seen by Beijing as a threat to national stability.
Lai said Wednesday that he opposed violence and that advocating Hong Kong's independence was “too crazy to think about.”
“The core values of Apple Daily are actually the core values of the people of Hong Kong,” he added.
These values, he said, include “the rule of law, liberty, the pursuit of democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly.”
Lai has previously been sentenced to prison on charges including unauthorized assembly and fraud, and has been held in solitary confinement since late 2020.
Dozens of people lined up outside the court Wednesday morning to show their support for the media mogul.
A similar crowd gathered Tuesday for the sentencing of the Hong Kong 47, which included some of the biggest names in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, such as Benny Tai and Joshua Wong.
The prosecution of Lai, who has British citizenship, has attracted international attention, with human rights groups and foreign governments demanding his release.
US President-elect Donald Trump said in a podcast in October that he would “100%” get Lai out of China – a claim that was met with calls for “mutual respect” from the leader from Hong Kong, John Lee.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described Lai as a “priority” for his government, expressed concerns about Lai's “deterioration” when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. Janeiro this week.
Lai's family and legal team have raised concerns about his health, highlighting his weight loss and increasing frailty during recent court appearances.
