Photos: A look back at jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai

Closing arguments for Lai’s National Security Law trial are set to begin on Aug. 14, in Hong Kong.

By RFA staff

The founder of Hong Kong’s now shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, Lai, 77, who is also a British citizen, has been in jail since December 2020.

Lai is currently standing trial for “collusion with foreign forces” under Hong Kong’s National Security Law.

Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien has warned that “time is running out” for his father’s health, and called on Britain and the United States to push for his release.

Human rights groups say Lai’s trial is a “sham” and part of a broad crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.

The hearings are scheduled to last eight days.

Jimmy Lai walks through the Stanley prison in Hong Kong, on July 28, 2023.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Jimmy Lai walks through the Stanley prison in Hong Kong, on July 28, 2023. (Louise Delmotte/AP)
Jimmy Lai, owner of the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, poses next to dry runs of a soon to be launched Taiwanese newspaper taped to his office wall, April 7, 2003, in Taipei.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Jimmy Lai, owner of the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, poses next to dry runs of a soon to be launched Taiwanese newspaper taped to his office wall, April 7, 2003, in Taipei. (Jerome Favre/AP)
This photo taken on Feb. 7, 2011, shows Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai outside his company's headquarters in Hong Kong.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial This photo taken on Feb. 7, 2011, shows Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai outside his company's headquarters in Hong Kong. (Mike Clarke/AFP)
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai, attends a pro-democracy protesters march in Admiralty on Aug. 31, 2019 in Hong Kong.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Media tycoon Jimmy Lai, attends a pro-democracy protesters march in Admiralty on Aug. 31, 2019 in Hong Kong. (Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai poses during an interview at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong, June 16, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai poses during an interview at the Next Digital offices in Hong Kong, June 16, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP)
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and a copy of Apple Daily's July 1, 2020, edition during an interview Hong Kong, July 1, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and a copy of Apple Daily's July 1, 2020, edition during an interview in Hong Kong, July 1, 2020. (Vincent Yu/AP)
Hong Kong police officers block the entrance to Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Hong Kong police officers block the entrance to Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020. (Apple Daily via Getty Images)
Hong Kong police officers search the office of Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Hong Kong police officers search the office of Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020. (Apple Daily via Getty Images)
Hong Kong police officers search the office of Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Hong Kong police officers search the office of Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020. (Apple Daily via Getty Images)
Jimmy Lai is escorted by Hong Kong police officers as they search the office of Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Jimmy Lai is escorted by Hong Kong police officers as they search the office of Apple Daily newspaper on Aug. 10, 2020. (Apple Daily via Getty Images)
Hong Kong media tycoon and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai is escorted by the police for evidence collection on Aug. 11, 2020 in Hong Kong.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Hong Kong media tycoon and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai is escorted by the police for evidence collection on Aug. 11, 2020 in Hong Kong. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper, with front pages featuring Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, are displayed for sale at a newsstand in Hong Kong, Aug. 11, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper, with front pages featuring Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, are displayed for sale at a newsstand in Hong Kong, Aug. 11, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP)
Jimmy Lai, center, who founded the Apple Daily tabloid, is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court, in Hong Kong on Dec. 12, 2020.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Jimmy Lai, center, who founded the Apple Daily tabloid, is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court, in Hong Kong on Dec. 12, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP)
Copies of the last issue of Apple Daily arrive at a newspaper booth in Hong Kong on June 24, 2021.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Copies of the last issue of Apple Daily arrive at a newspaper booth in Hong Kong on June 24, 2021. (Vincent Yu/AP)
In this image provided by The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, an artist projection by Robin Bell protests China's crackdown on dissidents ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Washington, Jan. 31, 2022.
hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial In this image provided by The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, an artist projection by Robin Bell protests China's crackdown on dissidents ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Washington, Jan. 31, 2022. (Andre Chung/Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong via AP)

Related Stories