The media magnate and opposition leader of Hong Kong Jimmy Lai has pleaded not guilty this Tuesday of the three charges against him in the context of the wave of massive protests in 2019 and 2020 against China’s interference in autonomy Of the territory.
Lai, 76, went to court early in the morning amid a strong police presence – who even inspected the vehicles entering the facilities – on the fourth day of the trial, when prosecutors presented his opening arguments in the case, reports the South China Morning Post.
The opposition leader is accused of sedition, conspiracy and collusion with foreign forces under the national security law that have crushed dissent in the territory. Prosecutors understand that Lai used the newspaper he founded, the Apple Daily, to encourage a campaign against Beijing and attract international sanctions.
It is worth mentioning that Lai has been in custody since December 2020 and is currently serving a sentence for a fraud case that he has denounced as political persecution as a speaker of the protests through the ‘Apple Daily’, dissolved by the Chinese authorities for violating the law. of national security, denounced by dissidents as a campaign of oppression.