Landmark trial begins in Hong Kong in case of media mogul Jimmy Lai as former democracy seeks to jail him for life on trumped up charges

Hong Kong has begun the anticipated and widely condemned trial of media mogul Jimmy Lai who is accused of violating the region ‘s controversial and again widely condemned colonial-era law (and parts of the country’s national security law.)

CONTEXT:

A few years back, Hong Kong was the subject of some pretty intense protests as democracy began to crumble in the independent territory of China. During the protests, things did get pretty violent which later led to a piece of legislation known as the National Security Law in June 2020. The NSL and this is no laughing matter condemns all forms of protests; sedition, terrorism, dissent, and most forms of speech that the communist party may not like.

In Lai ‘s case, Chinese prosecutors are unmoved and intend to fiercely show the public how ‘serious’ his supposed charges are according to The Guardian. Lai has been locked up since Dec 2020 on fraud charges (which critics and supporters have also largely panned as politically motivated) after he was collared for violating a lease contract.