HONG KONG ¨C A Hong Kong court said it will deliver its verdict in media tycoon Jimmy Lai¡¯s national security trial at a later date, after closing submissions concluded on Thursday, in a case that has drawn global attention as a test of the rule of law in the Chinese-ruled financial hub.
The 156-day trial, which began in December 2023, has become the most high-profile example of China¡¯s crackdown on rights and freedoms in the Asian financial hub under a sweeping national security law that was imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
When asked to give an indication of the verdict date, one of the three judges Esther Toh said this would be announced ¡°in good time.¡± The 77-year-old Lai, who is the founder of the now-shuttered 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.
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