the trial under high security of Jimmy Lai, pro-democracy press boss, has opened

The trial of pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai opened in Hong Kong on Monday, December 18, despite calls from Washington and London for his immediate release. The billionaire, whose first public appearance since 2021, is being prosecuted for “collusion with foreign forces” and risks life in prison. He arrived at court dressed in a suit, smiling and waving toward the seats where his family members sat. A large security system had been deployed around the building, in front of which residents had waited all night in the cold in the hope of attending the hearing.

The daily owner Apple Daily, closed in 2021, is one of the most famous figures of the pro-democracy movement. His newspaper, a severe critic of Beijing, supported the major demonstrations of 2019 in Hong Kong and called for international sanctions against Chinese and local authorities.

Jimmy Lai, who has just turned 76, has been imprisoned for three years already under a radical national security law, imposed by Beijing in 2020, a year after major pro-democracy demonstrations. His trial, which is expected to last 80 days, will provide information on the evolution of civil liberties in Hong Kong and the independence of the judiciary from Beijing. He suffered multiple delays because the authorities prevented the press boss from being represented by Tim Owen, a British human rights lawyer, citing security risks. Jimmy Lai will be judged by three judges chosen by the leader of Hong Kong, from a group of hand-picked magistrates.