Sawt Falasteen - Hong Kong starts trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai

Lai, 76, founded the now-shuttered Chinese-language tabloid Apple Daily, which often bashed Beijing and supported the huge protest movement that roiled Hong Kong in 2019.

He stands accused of "collusion" with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the finance hub in 2020.

The trial -- scheduled to be heard in open court over the next 80 working days -- will be closely watched as a barometer for the city's political freedoms and judicial independence.

A rags-to-riches millionaire who made his fortune selling clothes before expanding into media, Lai will be tried without a jury and has been denied the lawyer of his choice.

The United States, Britain, the European Union and the United Nations have all expressed concerns about Lai's case, but Beijing has dismissed them as smears and interference.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met last week with Lai's son Sebastien and later issued a statement saying the UK "will continue to stand with Jimmy Lai", who is a British citizen.

"Lord Cameron said that (the case) was a priority and that he had mentioned it with his counterpart Wang Yi," Sebastien told AFP on Saturday, referring to China's top diplomat.

Sebastien said he was "heartbroken" to see recent press photos of his father in a prison yard, which showed him "older, skinnier".

"I'm under no illusion that Hong Kong has an independent judiciary system anymore," he added.

- 'Travesty of justice' -

Dozens of activists have been charged under the 2020 national security law, but Lai is the first to contest a foreign "collusion" charge.

Imprisoned for more than 1,100 days, Lai has already been convicted in five other cases, including for organising and participating in marches during the 2019 democracy protests.

Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after authorities used the security law to raid it twice and freeze assets worth HK$18 million (US$2.3 million).

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that more than 100 media leaders worldwide have co-signed a statement calling for Lai's release.

"We're urging the court to abide by the rule of law and if they do so, they should naturally dismiss this case," RSF's Cedric Alviani told AFP on Friday.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement on Friday that the trial was "a travesty of justice" and a "dark stain on Hong Kong's rule of law".

Critics of the national security law say it has curtailed civil liberties, effectively silenced dissent, and eroded the judicial independence that has long attracted foreign businesses to the financial hub.

Hong Kong authorities said ahead of the court proceedings that they would step up security around the West Kowloon Law Courts Building.

"If anyone tries to disrupt the trial or intimidate those involved in the legal process, we will not hesitate to take immediate action," the city's security chief Chris Tang said on Friday.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST