Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media tycoon both lauded as a hero and condemned as a traitor, is entering the final stage of his national security trial.
Closing arguments are set to begin on Thursday for Lai, who stands accused of colluding with foreign forces under the national security law imposed by Beijing.
The trial has garnered international scrutiny, with figures like UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer advocating for Lai’s release. The 77-year-old holds both British and Chinese citizenship, though China does not recognize dual nationality and considers Lai solely Chinese.
Detained since December 2020, Lai faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
Critics argue that Lai’s case exemplifies the weaponization of Hong Kong’s legal system to suppress political dissent.
Lai has long been a vocal critic of Beijing. Unlike many Hong Kong tycoons, he emerged as a staunch opponent of the Chinese state and a leading advocate for democracy in the former British territory.
“I’m a born rebel,” he stated in a 2020 BBC interview, hours before his indictment, emphasizing his “very rebellious character.”
He is the most prominent individual charged under the controversial national security law, enacted by China in 2020 in response to widespread protests in Hong Kong the previous year.
This legislation criminalizes a broad spectrum of dissenting activities deemed by Beijing as subversion and secession, among other offenses.
While Beijing maintains that the national security law is essential for maintaining stability in Hong Kong, critics contend that it has effectively criminalized dissent.
Over the years, Lai’s son, Sebastien, has been a vocal advocate for his father’s release. In February, he urged Starmer and US President Donald Trump to take urgent action, noting that his father’s “body is breaking down.”
Born in Guangzhou, China, Lai’s family lost their wealth following the communist takeover in 1949.
At the age of 12, he fled mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat.
While working in a clothing shop, he taught himself English and eventually built a multi-million dollar empire, including the international clothing brand Giordano.
Following the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, Lai shifted his focus to democracy activism.
He began writing columns critical of the massacre and established a publishing house that became one of Hong Kong’s most influential.
Amid threats from China to close his mainland stores, Lai sold the company and launched pro-democracy publications, including Next, a digital magazine, and the Apple Daily newspaper.
In a local media environment increasingly cautious of Beijing, Lai remained a persistent critic of Chinese authorities.
This has made him a hero to many in Hong Kong, who see him as a courageous defender of the city’s freedoms.
However, in mainland China, he is viewed as a “traitor” who threatens national security.
Lai’s house and company headquarters have been firebombed, and he has been the target of an assassination plot.
Despite these threats, he remained outspoken and participated in pro-democracy demonstrations, leading to his arrest twice in 2021 on illegal assembly charges.
Following the passage of Hong Kong’s national security law in June 2020, Lai told the BBC it signaled the “death knell” for the territory.
He also warned that Hong Kong would become as corrupt as China, and that without the rule of law, its status as a global financial hub would be “totally destroyed.”
The media mogul is known for his frankness and acts of flamboyance.
In 2021, he urged Donald Trump to help the territory, stating he was “the only one who can save us” from China. Apple Daily published a front-page letter that ended: “Mr President, please help us.”
For Lai, these actions were necessary to defend the city that fostered his success.
He once told AFP: “I came here with nothing, the freedom of this place has given me everything… Maybe it’s time I paid back for that freedom by fighting for it.”
Lai has faced various charges, including unauthorized assembly and fraud, since 2020.
He has been in custody since December of that year.
His prosecution has drawn international attention, with rights groups and foreign governments calling for his release.
Sebastien Lai has traveled the world to denounce his father’s arrest and condemn Hong Kong for punishing “characteristics that should be celebrated.”
“My father is in jail for the truth on his lips, courage in his heart, and freedom in his soul,” he has said.
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