Landmark national security trial opens in Hong Kong for prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai

A landmark national security trial opened Monday in Hong Kong for prominent activist and publisher Jimmy Lai, who faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a law imposed by Beijing to crush dissidents.

Lai, 76, was arrested in August 2020 during a crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement under the sweeping national security law enacted following huge protests four years ago. He was charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to put out seditious publications.

The closely watched case tied to the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily that Lai founded is widely seen as a trial of press freedom and a test for judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.

China promised that the former British colony could retain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years after returning to Chinese rule in 1997.

But in recent years, the Hong Kong government has severely limited free speech and assembly and virtually eliminated political opposition under the rubric of maintaining national security. Many leading activists were arrested, silenced or forced into self-exile.

Lai's trial is Hong Kong's first on charges of collusion with foreign forces. It also targets three companies related to Apple Daily.

Lai smiled and waved at his supporters after he walked into the courtroom. 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, and representatives from foreign consulates were among the attendees.

Ahead of the opening statements, Lai's lawyer Robert Pang, facing the prosecution in court, said the sedition charge his client was facing didn't follow the due course of law.

Pang argued the law required the prosecution of sedition charges to begin within six months after an alleged offense was committed, saying the prosecutors failed to do it within that time frame in Lai's case.

Three judges, approved by the government, are overseeing the proceedings. The trial is expected to last about 80 days.

Last year, six former Apple Daily executives entered guilty pleas to collusion charges, admitting to the court they conspired with Lai to call for sanctions or other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. They were convicted and await sentencing behind bars.

Some of the former executives, alongside two others who also pleaded guilty to collusion charges, were expected to testify as witnesses for the prosecution of Lai.

Outside the court building, there was a heavy police presence. Dozens of residents queued up to attend the hearing hours before its start.

Lai's trial was originally scheduled to start last December but was postponed while the Hong Kong government appealed to Beijing to effectively block his attempt to hire a British defense lawyer.

City authorities subsequently barred the lawyer, Timothy Owen, from representing Lai, saying it would likely pose national security risks.