HONG KONG (AP) — Prominent activist and publisher Jimmy Lai on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to three charges of sedition and collusion with foreign countries in a landmark national security trial in Hong Kong.
Lai, a media tycoon who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, faces one count of conspiring to print seditious publications to incite hatred against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, as well as two counts of collusion with foreign countries to call for sanctions and other hostile actions against China and Hong Kong.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Lai, 76, a media tycoon who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, faces one count of conspiring to print seditious publications to incite hatred against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, as well as two counts of collusion with foreign countries to call for sanctions and other hostile actions against China and Hong Kong.
Prosecutor Anthony Chau in his opening statements described Lai as a “radical political figure” and the “mastermind” behind a conspiracy.
Various clips of interviews that Lai had done with foreign media outlets as well as speeches he had given at events between 2019 and 2020 were also played in court by the prosecution.
In these clips, Lai had called for support from foreign governments and urged U.S. officials as well as then-U.S. President Donald Trump to impose “draconian” measures on China and Chinese officials in retaliation for imposing the national security law and restricting the freedoms of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to China’s rule in 1997 under a promise the city would retain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years.
That promise has become increasingly threadbare since the introduction of the security law, which has led to the arrests and silencing of many leading pro-democracy activists.
The original article contains 478 words, the summary contains 207 words. Saved 57%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I think he’s a Lai-er
