Beijing’s ‘public enemy No. 1’ Jimmy Lai due in court as Hong Kong crackdown continues

Jimmy Lai (centre) looks on as activists demonstrate outside a court in Hong Kong in November

Credit: PETER PARKS /AFP

A newspaper tycoon who is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists is due in court on Saturday after being charged under the city’s new national security laws.

Jimmy Lai, 73, whose Apple Daily tabloid is known for its feisty coverage of both China and Hong Kong, could face life in jail after being accused of conspiring with “foreign forces”.

The self-made millionaire, who describes himself as "Beijing’s public enemy No 1", is among a growing number of pro-democracy activists arrested as part of the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.

In a separate case, teenage activist Tony Chung, 19, was convicted on Friday of desecrating China’s national flag in May 2019.

The charge — which carries up to three years’ jail — came after he allegedly grabbed a flag from a government supporter during a protest, causing its pole to break in half. He has been in custody since late October pending trial on separate national security offences.

Mr Lai, who has been in custody since December 2, has long topped the list of activists deemed troublemakers by Beijing. A refugee from the communist mainland, he fled during the famines of the Mao era, and made his fortune in Hong Kong’s garment business.

He claims to have had no interest in politics until the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, after which he became a prominent opponent of Beijing authoritarian ways.

His Apple Daily, a well-read tabloid, has long been criticised as subversive by Beijing. But when the crackdown on freedoms loomed earlier this year, Mr Lai vowed to "stay and fight" rather than flee abroad.

He has been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he has met officials, including the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy. That prompted Beijing to label him a “traitor”.

He was first arrested in August when around 200 police officers swooped on his offices. He is also facing separate charges of fraud related to the lease of the Apple’s offices.

His own newspaper, which is still publishing, first revealed details of the charges he was facing on Friday.

The new security law, which punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion with up to life in jail, has been condemned by Britain and many other countries.

“The goal is to hold Jimmy Lai, and shut Jimmy Lai up,” said Mark Simon, an associate of Mr Lai.