Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai’s lawyer defends basic rights in trial’s final stretch

The trial is widely seen as a test for judicial independence in the financial hub. - Photo: Reuters

HONG KONG: The lawyer for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai argued on Wednesday (Aug 20) that supporting individual rights is not a crime in the final stretch of a closely watched and years-long national security trial.

Lai, 77, who founded the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He faces a maximum life sentence.