Jimmy Lai prodemocratic activist

A Hong Kong court heard final arguments on Monday at Historical National Security Judgment of the former founder of prodemocratic newspapers Jimmy Lai, who could be sentenced to life imprisonment if he is convicted.

Lai, 77, was Arrested in 2020 under a National Security Law imposed by Beijing After anti -government protests in 2019. It is being tried for charges of collapse with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspire with others to issue seditious publications.

Lai founded Apple Daily, one of the local media that was more critical of the Hong Kong government. Its high profile case has extended almost 150 days, almost double the original estimate, and is widely seen as a press release and a test of judicial independence at the Asian Financial Center.

It is not clear when a verdict will be delivered, and the closing arguments in the trial were expected to last for about eight days, said BBC News of News themezone Partner.

Prosecutor Anthony Chau said Monday that Lai was arrested by collusion in August 2020, but continued to make requests for sanctions, a block or other hostile activities in the following months.

Chau suggested that foreign actions appeals were not only addressed to people, but also to China, while the foreign collaborations that Lai had were in the long term and persistent.

A prosecution document shown in court argued that the law does not prohibit normal international exchanges. But how Lai tried to attract an analogy of what he did with the cooperation between Hong Kong’s tax authority and the International Prosecutor’s Association was disconcerting.

“It is surprising to see that D1 (LAI) raised freedoms of thought and association as his shield,” he said in the document.

Chau is expected to conclude his final statement on Tuesday.

Previously, prosecutors claimed that Lai asked foreign countries, especially the United States, to take measures against Beijing “under the appearance of fighting for freedom and democracy.”

The first day of his testimony, Lai denied having asked the then vice president Mike Pence and the then Secretary of the State Mike Pompeo who took measures against Hong Kong and China during the 2019 protests.

When Lai’s lawyer interrogated him about an Apple daily report that said he had asked the United States government to sanction Beijing and Hong Kong leaders, he said he should have discussed him with Pompeo, since he had no reason to doubt the accuracy of the report of the now disappeared newspaper he founded.

But Lai said he would not have encouraged foreign sanctions after the National Security Law was promulgated on June 30, 2020.

The closing arguments have been delayed twice, first due to the weather, then to the concerns of the health of Lai.

On Friday, his lawyer, Robert Pang, said Lai had experienced heart palpitations while he was in prison. The judges wanted a cardiac monitor and medications to be ensured first.

After Friday’s audience, the Hong Kong government claimed that foreign media had tried to deceive the public about Lai’s medical care. He said that a medical examination of Lai did not find abnormalities and that the medical care he received in custody was adequate.

When Lai entered the courtroom on Monday, he greeted and smiled at those who were sitting in the public gallery and briefly instructed his legal team in an audible voice for public attendees. He closed his eyes at a time when the Prosecutor’s Office presented his legal arguments.

The cardiac monitor was delivered to Lai and had no complaints about his health, said Chau.

The arrest of the LAI years in solidarity confinement has caused concerns of foreign governments and rights groups. President Trump, before being elected to his second term in November, said he would talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seek Lai’s release. “I’ll get it out,” Trump said.

In an interview with News Radio published on August 14, Trump denied saying that he would save Lai, but that he would present the problem.

“I already mentioned it, and I’m going to do my best to save it,” he said.

China accused Lai of stirring an increase in feelings against China in Hong Kong and said it firmly opposes the interference of other countries in their internal affairs.

Dozens of people waited in the rain on Monday for a seat in the main room to see Lai.

Apple’s former daily reader, Susan Li, said he was worried about Lai’s health as he seemed visibly thinner and would continue to pray for him. “I wanted to let him know that we are still here,” he said.

When Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to China in 1997, Beijing promised to retain the civil freedoms of the city for 50 years. But critics say that the promise has become a blush after the introduction of the security law, that Chinese and Hong Kong authorities insist that it was necessary for the stability of the city.

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