China crackdown on Hong Kong under spotlight as leading democrat goes on trial
By James Pomfret, Greg Torode and Jessie Pang
HONG KONG (Reuters) — A long-awaited national security trial opens in Hong Kong on Monday for leading China critic and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who faces possible life imprisonment on charges he colluded with foreign forces, including the United States.
Foreign envoys, business people and legal scholars will be watching the trial closely, saying it looms as a fresh diplomatic flashpoint and a key test for the city's judicial independence and freedoms under the sweeping national security law imposed by China in 2020.
Jimmy Lai, 76, the founder of now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Daily and one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China's Communist Party leadership, has faced a salvo of litigation since a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
Lai, whom China's foreign ministry this week called a «notorious anti-China element», faces several charges under the law, including collusion with foreign forces — a count that involves calling for sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials.
He also faces a charge under older sedition laws, with six senior journalists and executives at Lai's Apple Daily newspaper also arrested. Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Lai is already serving a 5-year, 9-month jail term for a fraud conviction over a lease dispute for his newspaper.
Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say the city's rule of law is robust and all are treated equally before it. Both Hong Kong and Chinese officials say the security legislation was needed to restore stability to the former British colony.
But some close to Lai take a dimmer view, noting the use of the law's powers to deny Lai bail, block a jury trial, and allow the
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