Hong Kong: Cardinal Zen Present at Jimmy Lai Trial

Jimmy Lai, 76, who arrived in Hong Kong as a child labourer at the age of 12 and went on to become a businessman, politician and media mogul, has been on trial in Hong Kong since Monday.

He is a practising Catholic, baptized by Cardinal Joseph Zen in 1997. Lai is accused of "damaging national security" and "conspiring with foreign forces". Dozens of supporters are attending the trial, including Cardinal Zen, 91 (pictured).

Lai has already spent more than 1,000 days in detention. He denies all charges. His friends have described the trial as "worthy of Stalin". Lai is likely to be found guilty and face life imprisonment.

The most serious charges against him relate to Apple Daily, a newspaper he founded in 1995. Its circulation grew to 400,000 copies by 1997, making it Hong Kong's second largest daily newspaper. The Apple Daily was highly critical of Beijing, but was forced to close in 2021 after its six offices were raided.

Sarcastically, Lai's trial has drawn political condemnation from both the US and British governments, two countries which, among many crimes against journalists, have been keeping in prison Julian Assange since 2010 for exposing US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pictured below are:
Jimmy Lai in 2020, his drawing of Christ crucified while in custody, and a video of the prison van that took him to court on Monday.

#newsSggbingfvr

01:21