Hong Kong court dismisses pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai’s legal bid to fight for UK lawyer

BY KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has rejected an activist publisher’s latest effort to use a British lawyer to defend him against national security charges as Beijing tries to crush a pro-democracy movement. Jimmy Lai, the 75-year-old founder of the now-defunct newspaper Apple Daily, faces up to life in prison if convicted under a National Security Law imposed by Beijing on the former British colony. In November, the city’s top court approved Lai hiring veteran lawyer Timothy Owen for the case. But the government voiced objection soon after and Beijing stepped in. The political saga over Lai’s choice of lawyer is widely seen as part of the city’s crackdown on dissidents following massive protests in 2019.