Security tight ahead of Jimmy Lai trial

The police force has stepped up security outisde the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court building ahead the national security trial for jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.

It is understood that over 1,000 police officers will be deployed at the court.

Over 100 uniformed and plain-clothes officers patrolled in groups of four to fix around the court building, as well as on the connecting roads, while there were also officers stationed in the court building, all wearing bulletproof vests.

As of 8 am this morning, more than 50 citizens queued outside the court to attend the trial, with the first person in line arriving as earlier as 10 pm last night. There were also foreign consulates attending the trial, including Sarah Robinson, British Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong, deputy head of the European Union Office in Hong Kong Matthias Kaufmann, as well as representatives from New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and the United States.

Activist “Grandmother Wong” Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu was seen outside the court building this morning to support the jailed media mogul.

The 67-year-old Wong was seen waving the United Kingdom flag, shouting “Support Jimmy Lai”, at 8:15 am on Monday.

Lai’s trial has attracted over 50 journalists from local and foreign media. Thirty seats are reserved for journalists in the courtroom, while there is also a livestream available in the extended courtroom as well as the press room.

Lai has been in detention since he was arrested in 2020. He may face up to life in prison if convicted, while he has already been sentenced to five years and nine months in a separate case.

He and his three companies, Apple Daily, Apple Daily Printing, and AD Internet, faced two counts of collusion with external elements endangering national security and another count of printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, displaying or reproducing seditious publications.

Three national security judges — Esther Toh Lye-ping, Susana Maria D’Almada Remedios, and Alex Lee Wan-tang — are presiding the trial without a jury.

The case also involves six former Apple Daily executives who are charged with collusion with external elements to endanger national security.

However, they pleaded guilty in November 2022, including former editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong, 48; then publisher Cheung Kim-hung, 60; former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, 52; former associate publisher Chan Pui-man, 52; and ex-editorial writers Fung Wai-kong, 58, and Yeung Ching-kee, 56.