(Dec 12): Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai faces a verdict on Monday in a landmark national security trial, a decision that will help define the limits of free speech in the Chinese territory and potentially strain relations with the US and UK.
The ruling will be handed down by Hong Kong judges at 10am on Dec 15, according to a notice from the court. Lai’s case is the most high profile among those brought under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
The move comes at a moment of heightened sensitivity for the financial hub, following a deadly fire that stoked social discontent and prompted the government to crack down on speech critical of its handling of the disaster.
Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, faces life in prison if convicted of conspiring to collude with foreign forces in the wake of pro-democracy protests in 2019. During the marathon trial, which wrapped up in August, prosecutors depicted Lai as the “helmsman” of a plot to incite sanctions against China. He denied all charges.
Western governments and leaders including US President Donald Trump have called for Lai’s release. Beijing and Hong Kong authorities have rejected any attempts to interfere with the case.
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