This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.
The long-awaited national security trial of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has begun amid a heavy police presence aimed at ensuring safety and that nothing disrupts the proceedings, which are being closely watched around the world.
A queue stretched from the entrance of the West Kowloon Law Courts Building in Cheung Sha Wan on Monday morning, as dozens of attendees braved the chilly weather for a ticket to the trial.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Cars heading to the car park of the building were stopped for inspection by a police dog and a handheld device to check the bottom of the vehicles.
Police dogs and dozens of officers, including three armed and masked personnel guarding an anti-riot vehicle dubbed the “Sabre-toothed tiger”, circled the entrances of the courthouse, a press zone and the public queue outside.
Lai turned 76 at the maximum-security Stanley Prison earlier this month, his fourth birthday behind bars since first being denied bail in December 2020. He has been detained for more than 1,100 days.
He was brought to West Kowloon Court at 7.35am on Monday.
Representatives from at least 10 consulates, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland began arriving at the court at around 8.20am to observe the trial.
US representative Roxie Houge, the economic and political affairs chief at the country’s consulate, told the press that she hoped the city’s national security trials “would be kept public”.
Matthias Kaufmann, counsellor and deputy head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau, was also in the queue. He said he was attending to express the union’s “keen interest” in the case and its commitment to ensuring the city upheld the rule of law.
Retired Catholic leader Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was seen entering the courthouse at 9am.
A founding leader of the Democratic Party, Emily Lau Wai-hing, arrived at 9.45am. She told the press that she hoped Lai would get a fair trial.
Barristers began arriving at the court at 8.45am. Colman Li Fung-kei, one of the lawyers representing Lai, was seen entering the building at 8.50am.
Wearing a grey blazer, Lai was flanked by four prison officers while he was escorted into the dock. He looked at the public gallery and smiled when he saw Zen waving at him.
Lai, the founder of the popular Apple Daily tabloid newspaper is facing three conspiracy charges relating to sedition and collusion with foreign forces for allegedly drawing international sanctions against authorities and inciting public hatred in the wake of anti-government protests in 2019, sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill.
The trial, which is a High Court case, was moved to the more spacious West Kowloon Court to better accommodate crowds and in light of the time marathon proceedings expected to last 80 days.
Stage set for Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai’s national security trial
Three judges approved by the chief executive to hear national security cases will preside over the proceedings: Madam Justices Esther Toh Lye-ping and Susana D’Almada Remedios and Mr Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang. The case will be heard without a jury after justice minister Paul Lam Ting-kwok cited concerns including “involvement of foreign factors”.
Three Apple Daily-related companies are also named as defendants and are represented by counsel appointed by the company’s liquidators. The High Court ordered the winding up of the newspaper’s publisher Next Digital in December 2021 following a government petition.
The trial is expected to begin with counsel submissions on points of law surrounding the sedition charge stemming from colonial-era legislation before prosecutors make an opening speech.
Police patrols, sniffer dogs and X-ray checks at Hong Kong court for Lai trial
Police earlier announced they would deploy 1,000 officers, including personnel from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and bomb disposal squad, to guard the area round the clock over the next three months. Sniffer dogs would also be dispatched, the force added.
Four police vehicles are expected to be stationed at the elevated section of the West Kowloon Corridor, dozens of metres from the complex. The measure follows a suspected airgun attack on the court building that shattered a large window during a subversion trial in February.
A police bomb disposal vehicle was seen parked on a lane opposite the courthouse entrance on Monday.
The judiciary has set aside 388 seats for members of the public to attend the trial. Seventy spectators will observe the proceedings from the main courtroom’s public gallery, while the rest will watch a live broadcast. Another 161 seats have been reserved for the press.
About 40 people were waiting in each of the two queues, comprising members of the press and the public, outside the court building shortly after 7am.
The first four people in the public queue said they wanted to see the trial because of its historical significance.
A woman who was first in the public queue, who gave her name as JC, said she had been waiting since 10pm last night.
‘1,000 Hong Kong police officers to guard West Kowloon Court’ for Jimmy Lai’s trial
“I want to make sure I can go inside,” the 29-year-old catering worker said. “I’m worried there are people who were paid to queue up coming here to take the spots.”
She said she saw fewer than 10 police officers outside the court building last night.
An arts professional in his 40s, who gave his surname as Sung, said he was second in the queue after arriving at 4am this morning.
“I was inspired to come here after reading an interview of JC. It was interesting to see someone come by so early, which inspired me to join him so he won’t be alone,” he said.
Two observers from Reporters Sans Frontières, an international non-governmental organisation advocating for press freedom, were third and fourth in line. They said they had flown into the city for the trial.
The public queue included people of all ages, both the young and the elderly, vying for a spot inside the courthouse.
A retiree in her 60s, who gave her surname as Wong, said she came at 7am to secure a seat.
“We need to support Hongkongers. I think he did nothing wrong,” she said.
There were concerns during the opening of a high-profile subversion trial in February involving 47 opposition politicians that some people had been paid to wait in the public queue and attend the trial.
The Post has not seen anyone paying others to wait for a public seat, or receiving money for queuing up on Monday morning.
The first batch of public members and the press entered the courthouse for security checks at 8.30am.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Jimmy Lai trial: ‘1,000 Hong Kong police officers to guard West Kowloon Court for next 3 months’
- Stage set for Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai’s marathon trial on national security charges
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2023.
