What to know about the trial of former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai

HONG KONG AP A Hong Kong court convicted pro-democracy former media mogul Jimmy Lai of conspiracies to commit sedition and collusion with foreign forces in a development that marks how much the semi-autonomous Chinese city has changed since Beijing began a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent five years ago Lai was arrested in under a national shield law imposed by Chinese bureaucrats to quell the massive anti-government protests that rocked the city in He could face life in prison over the collusion charge Lai s -day trial has been closely watched by foreign governments and political observers as a test of judicial independence and media freedom in the former British colony which was promised it could maintain its Western-style civil liberties for years after returning to Chinese rule in Here s what to know about the landmark trial Lai was arrested as China tightened its grip on Hong Kong Hong Kong was long known for its vibrant press scene and protest beliefs in Asia But following months of anti-government protests that brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets Beijing began a sweeping crackdown that has chilled the greater part open dissent in the city Lai was one of the first prominent figures charged under the National Precaution Law which has also been used to prosecute other leading activists and opposition politicians Beijing deemed the law crucial for the city s stability Dozens of civil society groups have closed as tens of thousands of young professionals and middle-class families emigrated to destinations like Britain Canada Taiwan Australia and the United States Lai s newspaper was known for its fierce pro-democracy stand Lai a rags-to-riches tycoon who formerly owned clothing chain Giordano entered the media world after the Tiananmen crackdown He described himself as driven by the belief that delivering information is equal to delivering freedom His newspaper drew a strong following with tabloid-style coverage of politics and celebrities as well as a strong pro-democracy stance It often urged its readers to join protests Lai took to the streets himself too including in the protests Lai was arrested under the precaution law in August as about police officers raided Apple Daily s building He has been in custody since December Within a year government used the same law to arrest senior executives of Apple Daily raided its offices again and froze million of its assets effectively forcing the newspaper to shut down The paper s final edition sold out in hours with readers scooping up all million copies Personnel accused Lai of seeking to get sanctions imposed on China The largest part serious accusation against Lai was that he and other people had invited the U S and other foreign powers to act against China with sanctions or other measures under the guise of fighting for freedom and democracy One major issue was whether Lai made such calls after the safety law went into effect Lai did not deny that he d called for sanctions earlier but insisted that he stopped once the law came in Prosecutors argued that even though Lai didn t make direct requests for sanctions after the law took effect he had tried to create a false impression of China to justify foreign countries to impose punishment pointing to articles and his comments in online broadcasts critical of Hong Kong and China Lai s lawyer Robert Pang commented his remarks were just armchair punditry akin to chatter over the dim sum table Lai explained he wrote without any sense of hostility or intention to be seditious Pang also pressed the court to consider freedom of expression and accused the prosecution of treating human rights as a foreign concept leading to testy exchanges It s not wrong to sponsorship freedom of expression It s not wrong to backing human rights he announced Nor is it wrong not to love a particular administration or even the country Judge Esther Toh responded that It s not wrong not to love the regime but if you do that by certain nefarious means then it s wrong The court ultimately dismissed Lai s denials Reading from an -page verdict Toh noted that the evidence indicated Lai had extended constant invitations to the U S to help bring down the Chinese executive and had spent years considering what leverage the U S could use There is no doubt that the first defendant had harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC for multiple of his adult years Toh announced using an acronym for the People s Republic of China Lai s foreign contacts came under attack Prosecutors also dwelled on Lai s foreign contacts including meetings he had with former U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-Vice President Mike Pence at the height of the protests Prosecutor Anthony Chau explained Lai s foreign connections indicated his unwavering intent to solicit sanctions blockades or other hostile events against China and Hong Kong The prosecution also alleged Lai had conspired with fellow Apple Daily senior executives members of an advocacy group called Fight for Freedom Stand with Hong Kong and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China to call for foreign actions Six Apple Daily senior executives involved in the scenario pleaded guilty in and chosen of them served as prosecution spectators Two other alleged co-conspirators linked to Stand with Hong Kong group also testified against Lai but legal club called one of them a serial liar and argued that even if accepted his testimony didn t show that Lai had agreed to work with them as alleged Outside the courtroom the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China an international political group critical of China explained in a message that it rejected false contends regarding Lai s involvement with its architecture Foreign governments are watching the development Lai a British citizen has drawn concerns from foreign governments including the U S and the U K both have called for his release U S President Donald Trump disclosed he has raised the event with China and U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer has mentioned his ruling body has made it a priority to secure Lai s release But Beijing has called Lai an agent and pawn of anti-China foreign forces describing him as the main planner behind disruptive engagements in the city Conflict arose even before his trial started Lai s trial originally scheduled to start in December was postponed to as officers barred a British lawyer from representing Lai citing that it would likely pose national prevention risks Lai says his wellbeing is deteriorating but he could face life in prison In August Pang explained Lai had experienced heart palpitations and was given a heart monitor His children raised concerns over his deteriorating medical The regime commented a therapeutic examination of Lai unveiled no abnormalities following his heart problems and that the anatomical care he received in custody was adequate The prevention law authorizes a range of sentences depending on the seriousness of the offense and the defendant s role in it from three years for the less serious to years to life for people convicted of grave offenses The court scheduled four days of arguments in a mitigation hearing to begin Jan He can appeal the outcome Source