Hailed by some as a hero and scorned by others as a traitor, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai is in the final stage of his national security trial.
Closing arguments were scheduled to start on Thursday for Lai, who is accused of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law.
However, the morning hearing has been postponed by a “black” rainstorm warning – Hong Kong’s highest level of warning – as a typhoon swept the city on Thursday. Hearings will remain adjourned for the rest of the day if the weather warning is not lifted by 11:00 local time (03:00 GMT).
The trial has drawn international attention, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for Lai’s release. The 77-year-old has British as well as Chinese citizenship – though China does not recognise dual nationality, and therefore considers Lai to be exclusively Chinese.
Lai has been detained since December 2020 and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if he is convicted.
Critics say Lai’s case shows how Hong Kong’s legal system has been weaponised to silence political opposition.
Lai has been a persistent thorn in China’s side. Unlike other tycoons who rose to the top in Hong Kong, Mr Lai became one of the fiercest critics of the Chinese state and a leading figure advocating democracy in the former British territory.
“I’m a born rebel,” he told the BBC in an interview in 2020, hours before he was charged. “I have a very rebellious character.”