Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty to sedition and collusion charges

By ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Prominent activist and publisher Jimmy Lai on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to three charges of sedition and collusion with foreign countries in a landmark national security trial in Hong Kong. Lai, a media tycoon who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, faces one count of conspiring to print seditious publications to incite hatred against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, as well as two counts of collusion with foreign countries to impose sanctions and call for other hostile actions against China and Hong Kong. Lai, 76, was arrested during the city’s crackdown on dissidents following huge pro-democracy protests in 2019. He faces possible life imprisonment if convicted under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing.