BEIJING: Publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai (pix) pleaded not guilty to alleged violations of Hong Kong’s controversial security law on Tuesday, reported German news agency (dpa).
The 76-year-old appeared before a court in the West Kowloon district, Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post reported.
Lai is the founder of the pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, which was forced to shut down after it was targetted by authorities for alleged violations of China’s National Security Law.
Lai has already been sentenced to two prison terms and has been jailed for three years. If, as expected, Lai is also found guilty in the current trial, he could face a life sentence.
The trial, which began on Dec 18, is expected to last several months.
The security law, imposed by Beijing in June 2020 following huge protests for more democracy in Hong Kong, massively curtails the political rights of the opposition as well as of civil rights organisations.
The law is aimed at activists that Beijing sees as subversive, separatist, terrorist or conspiratorial. –Bernama
