Jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai dismissed as “impossible” the idea that the Chinese government could be overthrown, during testimony in his much-condemned Hong Kong national security trial on Thursday, as foreign governments continue to call for his immediate release.
“To think about overthrowing the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], I think it’s out of the dimension of any discussion. It’s impossible,” Lai said.
“Do you think sanctions [and] blockade would overthrow the CCP? It’s more than ridiculous,” Lai told the court.
The 77-year-old British national made the statements during what was his sixth day of testimony in a high-profile national security trial that rights groups and foreign governments have rejected as politically motivated.
Lai stands accused of collusion with foreign forces and sedition under a Beijing-imposed national security law. He rejects the charges, but if convicted, faces life in prison.
The founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has been held in solitary confinement since late 2020. Lai’s national security trial — which is taking place before three government-appointed judges, rather than a jury — began nearly one year ago but was initially estimated to last about 80 days.
During his testimony, Lai has maintained that he never lobbied for international sanctions on Hong Kong. But he said international support would be the “salvation” of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and could protect the city “from the encroachment of China on our freedom.”
Describing his thinking at the time, Lai told the court that the 2019 pro-democracy movement could have garnered the international community’s support by conducting demonstrations “peacefully and rationally.”
“If we conduct our demonstration on a moral high ground and people sympathize with us, I think this is the greatest lobbying we can have,” Lai said in his testimony.
A chorus of rights groups and foreign governments, including the United States, have repeatedly called for Lai’s immediate release.
On Thursday, the European Parliament passed an urgent resolution calling for the publisher’s release. The measure, which passed by an overwhelming majority, marks the first time that the newly reconstituted European Parliament has considered Lai’s case and the situation in Hong Kong.
EU Commissioner Helena Dalli said Lai’s trial “is emblematic of the erosion of democracy and freedom in Hong Kong.”
Lai’s international legal team welcomed the resolution.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher, the head of the international legal team, said in a statement that Hong Kong’s treatment of Lai “flies in the face” of European values.
“He shouldn’t spend a second more in prison,” Gallagher told VOA last week. “This is a trial which should never have happened in the first place, under a law which should not exist.”
The European resolution also called for the release of Chung Pui-kuen, one of two editors-in-chief at the new-defunct Stand News sentenced for sedition in a case widely viewed as politically motivated.
In a more than 800-word statement sent to VOA after publication, a Hong Kong government spokesperson said it was “inappropriate” to comment on Lai’s case because legal proceedings are ongoing.
The spokesperson also said Hong Kong “rejected any fact-twisting remarks and baseless smears against the legal system” and emphasized that “Hong Kong citizens enjoy freedom of the press and freedom of speech.”
Hong Kong’s Security Bureau did not immediately reply to a VOA email requesting comment for this story.
But in a more than 700-word statement to VOA last week, a Hong Kong government spokesperson said it was “inappropriate” to comment on the case because legal proceedings are ongoing.
The spokesperson said that Hong Kong “rejected any fact-twisting remarks and baseless smears against the legal system and safeguarding of rights and freedom in Hong Kong.”
Hong Kong authorities have previously denied that Lai’s trial is unfair.
Lai began his testimony on November 20, just one day after 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison under a national security law.
In testimony last week, Lai said he had advocated for “peaceful resistance” against rising Chinese repression in Hong Kong through his commentaries published in Apple Daily. He noted that he tried to “reduce violence” during the city’s pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Lai also was questioned about the establishment of Apple Daily’s English online edition in May 2020, shortly before the national security law came into effect.
Lai said a “sense of crisis” drove him to believe that the new edition would help Hong Kong by encouraging foreign lawmakers to “take notice of our situation” and “voice out their concerns” to Beijing.
Apple Daily closed in 2021 after authorities jailed its staff, raided its office, and froze its assets worth millions of dollars.
Earlier this week, Lai rebutted the testimony of prosecution witness Cheung Kim-hung, the former CEO of Apple Daily’s parent company Next Digital. Lai said he never discussed sanctions with Cheung and accused Cheung of falsifying testimony.
Also this week, Lai testified that he did not give editorial directions during “lunch box meetings.”
Earlier in November, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Lai is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained in Hong Kong and has called for his immediate release.
A one-time billionaire, Lai could have fled Hong Kong, but he instead chose to stay and stand up for freedom in Hong Kong, according to his son Sebastien.
“His actions speak louder than words. And he has done all these brave and incredible things in defense of freedom for the people of Hong Kong, and they’re criminalizing him for it,” Sebastien Lai told VOA last week.
Jimmy Lai’s international legal team has expressed concern about the conditions in which the publisher is being held, including prolonged solitary confinement and no access to specialized medical care for diabetes.
Even as Jimmy Lai’s physical health has declined, “his spirit is holding strong. His mind is holding strong,” Sebastien Lai told VOA last week.
Jimmy Lai’s international legal team expects the trial to continue into 2025.
