In a landmark national security trial under a Beijing-imposed law, 76-year-old publisher Jimmy Lai will testify in his defense, facing charges of colluding with foreign forces and putting out seditious publications. Despite his lawyer’s argument that the prosecutors’ evidence was insufficient, judges ruled against him. Lai’s case has drawn attention to press freedom and judicial independence in Hong Kong, once promised Western-style civil liberties after returning to China in 1997. The 2020 security law has significantly reduced these freedoms, leading to Lai’s arrest and trial.
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Lai’s case also involved former executives of Apple Daily pleading guilty to collusion charges, shedding light on his meetings with U.S. officials to seek support against Beijing. This trial reflects the shrinking press freedom in Hong Kong post-2020 security law enactment, challenging the once-promised civil liberties of the city.
Hong Kong now ranks 135th in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, marking a decline in media freedom from its previous status as a bastion of press freedom in Asia.