Sawt Falasteen - US, Britain call for release of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai as trial starts

Lai, 76, stands accused of "collusion" with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the finance hub in 2020.

He is the founder of the now-shuttered Chinese-language tabloid Apple Daily, which often criticised Beijing and supported the huge protest movement that roiled Hong Kong in 2019.

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 said in a statement ahead of the proceedings that he was "particularly concerned at the politically-motivated prosecution" of Lai.

"As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Jimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.

"I call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution and release Jimmy Lai," he said.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also called for Lai's release, saying that "actions that stifle press freedom and restrict the free flow of information... have undermined Hong Kong's democratic institutions and harmed Hong Kong's reputation as an international business and financial hub".

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.

- 'Has not given up' -

Overnight, members of the public waited in line outside Hong Kong's West Kowloon Law Courts Building, where the trial will be held.

"Lai is one of the defendants in detention the longest. I don't want him to appear in court and find no one attending the hearing," said Jolly Chung, a part-time caterer who arrived around 10 pm Sunday to ensure herself a spot in court, adding that she saw Lai's case as a litmus test for Hong Kong's freedoms.

"Press freedom does not only affect journalists. An ordinary reader could also write and publish," she told AFP.

Postgraduate student Ryan, who asked to be identifed by his first name only, said he wanted to "witness history".

"I want to let him know that someone cares," he said Monday, hours before the trial was scheduled to start.

"In my impression, Lai is very vocal and he stands firm on what he believes in -- he has not given up despite being jailed for three years."

Lai's 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).

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.

D.Khalil--SF-PST