A Hong Kong court on Thursday rejected a bid by the legal team of jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai to end his ongoing national security trial, which is widely viewed as politically motivated.
Lai's defense team tried to end the proceedings by arguing that the prosecution lacked enough evidence. But the court rejected that attempt, saying it believes prosecutors do have enough evidence to support the three charges against Lai.
"Having considered all the submissions, we ruled that the first defendant [Lai] has a case to answer on all the charges," said Judge Esther Toh, one of a panel of three hand-picked judges hearing the case.
Lai's national security trial began in Hong Kong in December 2023. It is set to resume on November 20, when Lai is expected to give evidence.
The 76-year-old British national has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a less severe charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials. If Lai is convicted, he could face life in prison.
Press freedom groups have condemned Lai's trial as a sham, and the British and U.S. governments have called for his immediate release.
"The authorities have done all they can to silence Jimmy Lai. They have introduced a draconian law to criminalize dissent. They have shut down his newspaper. They have subjected him to a barrage of spurious prosecutions. And his current trial has been beset by repeated delays," Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who leads Lai's international legal team, said in a statement.
Lai founded the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, which authorities shut down in 2021. He is standing trial under Hong Kong's harsh national security law, which came into effect in 2020 and has prompted a rapid deterioration in press freedom.
Authorities in Hong Kong and China, however, say the national security law has fostered stability in Hong Kong. Officials in Hong Kong have also said Lai's trial is fair.
Thursday marked the 92nd day of Lai's controversial trial, which was originally estimated to last 80 days.
Lai has spent more than 3½ years in solitary confinement. He is serving a sentence of five years and nine months after being convicted of violating a lease contract for Apple Daily's office.
Lai's son Sebastien expressed concern about the continued delays in what he described as his father's "show trial."
"At a time when most people get to enjoy their retirement and spend time with family, my father is in solitary confinement in a Hong Kong prison," Sebastien Lai said in a statement.
"Now we learn of a four month delay within the trial itself, so this unfair process drags on even longer," he said. "My father should not be in prison in the first place. I implore the UK Government to take action to end this farce and secure my father's immediate release."
Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
