Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai will appear in court on Monday in a long-awaited trial that symbolizes Beijing’s efforts to silence critics after pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Lai, 76, former publisher of the once popular but now closed Apple Daily, has been jailed for more than three years. His trial will be held under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 that criminalizes dissent in the city.
China has used the threat of punishment under the draconian law to strengthen its grip on Hong Kong, including by muzzling the media for vaguely defined crimes such as “incitement to subversion” and “collusion.”
So far, every person tried under the new law has been convicted. Even among his most ardent supporters, there is little hope that Lai’s case will be any different. He could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Here’s what to know about the upcoming trial.
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