the opening of the trial of the opponent of the Chinese regime Jimmy Lai

The pro-democracy media mogul faces life in prison on charges of collusion with foreign forces. But for its defenders, it is above all a political trial which began this Monday morning.

The billionaire arrived Monday, December 18 in the morning at the Hong Kong court, in a suit and emaciated. He was smiling and greeted the crowd and his family members. It must be said that Jimmy Lai, who has just turned 76, has spent the last three years in prison in a high security unit.

He is imprisoned under a sweeping national security law, imposed by Beijing in 2020, a year after major pro-democracy protests. The trial will take place in open court over the next 80 days. But for many people, it should above all make it possible to assess the level of civil liberties in Hong Kong and the independence of the judiciary from Beijing. Knowing that no one is under any illusions.

With great courage, Alexandra Wong, a 67-year-old pro-democracy activist, known as “Grandma Wong” (“Grandmother Wong” in French) came to support the accused. She waved a British flag and shouted “support Apple Dailysupport Jimmy Lai”, before being removed by the police. Apple Dailythis is the name of the pro-democracy newspaper headed by Jimmy Lai, whose publication stopped in 2021.

Jimmy Lai is dangerous for the Chinese dictatorship because he is a symbol. He fled communist China at the age of 12 because his family was in danger. He took refuge in Hong Kong and began working for only eight dollars a month. Then, he will become the billionaire we know, at the head of a press empire: the Next Media group. He has dual nationality, British and Taiwanese, which means he could have fled without worries. But he is a democracy activist who has constantly demonstrated in memory of the victims of Tiananmen Square and who refuses to see Hong Kong fall into the hands of the Chinese dictatorship.

Support from all over the world

If Jimmy Lai is important to the Chinese authorities, it is because he serves as an example. Putting Jimmy Lai in prison is a way of silencing the protests that could emerge in Hong Kong. And this is verified with the important security system that the authorities have deployed around the court, because Jimmy Lai is supported by the people of Hong Kong, but also throughout the world.

The Americans asked the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong to respect freedom of the press and “immediately release Jimmy Lai and all others imprisoned for defending their rights.” It is defended by the English, David Cameron said he was particularly concerned about “prosecutions initiated for political reasons” against the former press boss. The new British Foreign Minister also called for Jimmy Lai to be released.

He is also supported by Reporters Without Borders and more than 100 media executives from around the world who co-signed a statement earlier this year calling for his release. He is still supported by his family and his son, Sebastian Lai, who during his visit to France asked Westerners to no longer invest in Hong Kong, that is to say, no longer invest where there are more than 1 500 political prisoners.