The trial of prominent publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai for alleged violations of Hong Kong's controversial security law begun on Monday.
The 76-year-old appeared before a court in the West Kowloon district on Monday, Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) and other media reported.
Local media reported long queues of people outside the courthouse hoping to get a seat at the trial.
Lai is the founder of pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, which was forced to shut after the tabloid was targeted by authorities for alleged violations of the National Security Law.
Lai has already been sentenced to two prison terms and has been in prison for three years. If, as expected, Lai is also found guilty in the current trial, he could face a life sentence. The trial, which has already been postponed several times, is expected to continue into the new year.
The security law, imposed by Beijing in June 2020 following mass protests for more democracy in Hong Kong, massively curtails the political rights of the opposition as well as of civil rights organizations. The law is aimed at activists that Beijing sees as subversive, separatist, terrorist or conspiratorial.
"Shortly before this historic trial, it is more important than ever that the international community stands behind Jimmy Lai," said Christian Mihr, the managing director of the German branch of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "The court must adhere to the rule of law and stop this flimsy trial."
Over the past three years, the authorities have used the security law and other laws as a pretext to persecute at least 28 journalists and defenders of press freedom in Hong Kong, according to RSF figures.
Hong Kong was returned to China on July 1, 1997, but is ruled under the principle of "one country, two systems" intended to grant the region a high degree of autonomy until 2047. Critics say the security law effectively scrapped this principle.
