Years-long trial wrapping up for Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai

Closing statements in the trial of Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy outlet Apple Daily, were set for Thursday, according to the Hong Kong Free Press. The start of the hearing on Thursday morning was delayed because of a heavy rain warning, according to the outlet. The government has detained Lai since 2020. It forcibly closed his newspaper in 2021. Lai’s trial on charges of foreign collusion and sedition began in December 2023 and has run for nearly 150 days, according to the Hong Kong Free Press. Lai, 77, pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the outlet.

Lai, a British citizen, is currently serving a sentence of over five years for fraud related to a contractual dispute. He faces a life sentence if convicted of the collusion and sedition charges, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.

President Donald Trump pledged during his campaign to free Lai. Senator Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., just over a week ago said he and Trump were calling on the Chinese embassy to release Lai before he dies in prison.

What conditions does Lai experience in prison? He has been held in solitary confinement for most of his sentence and only allowed to leave his cell for about 50 minutes a day. His cell doesn’t have natural light or sufficient temperature control, and Lai has lost a lot of weight, his son told Nikkei Asia, an English-language news magazine. But the government of Hong Kong recently allowed Lai, who is Roman Catholic, to receive communion after a news report emerged that he’d been denied it since his arrest, according to Nikkei Asia. The government of Hong Kong also said that Lai requested solitary confinement and that he lives in a healthy environment, the magazine reported.

Dig deeper: Read Erica Kwong’s story about Lai and other activists, including Christians, who are behind bars for pro-democracy efforts.