Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, appeared in court on Monday as his long-awaited national security trial finally commenced in Hong Kong. The 76-year-old media tycoon had been a prominent supporter of Hong Kong’s anti-government protests in 2019, but now he faces charges of colluding with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious material under the Beijing-imposed security law.

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Donning hats, scarves and masks to shield their faces from the winter cold, a small group of supporters of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai waited overnight outside a Hong Kong court for the start of his long-awaited national security trial on Monday. First in line was Jolly Chung, who arrived at 10:00 pm (1400 GMT Sunday) the night before, parking herself on the pedestrian pavement. "I don't want him to appear in court and find no one attending the hearing," she told AFP, huddled in her parka as she braced...

HONG KONG — A landmark national security trial opened Monday in Hong Kong for prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai, who faces a possible life sentence if convicted under a law imposed by Beijing to crush dissidents. Lai, 76, was arrested in August 2020 during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement under the sweeping national security law enacted following huge protests four years ago. He is charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to put out seditious publications. The closely watched case —...