The trial of media tycoon Jimmy Lai began in Hong Kong on Monday and MPs have condemned it as a “show trial” due to the UK government being barred from assisting the British citizen. Mr. Lai, 76, who is the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, stands accused of “collusion” with foreign forces under a National Security Law imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Hong Kong in 2020. He’s also accused of taking part in a conspiracy to publish “seditious” publications under a British colonial-era sedition law and could face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.
In prison since December 2020, Mr. Lai has faced multiple convictions and the Hong Kong authorities have refused him consular access and barred his UK lawyer, Timothy Owen, from the trial on national security grounds.
British minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan stated that Mr. Lai’s prosecution is politically motivated, and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office will continue to call for his release throughout the trial. Meanwhile, MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the UK government being slow to publicly state Mr. Lai’s citizenship, calling for the government to protect other individuals “targeted through the evidence at Jimmy Lai’s trial” and to pressure for sanctions against Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee and others responsible for the National Security Law. Despite the challenges, the UK government has declared China to be in ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration.