HONG KONG: The closing submissions in a national security trial against Hong Kong pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai were delayed today after his lawyer said he had suffered heart palpitations.
The closing submissions will recommence on Monday after the court adjourned to allow Lai, 77, to obtain medication and a heart monitor.
Lai, who founded the Apple Daily newspaper that was forced to close after a police raid and asset freeze in June 2021, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material.
Some Western governments, including the US, have called for Lai’s immediate release, saying the trial is politically motivated under a years-long national security crackdown in the China-ruled financial hub.
US President Donald Trump said in a media interview yesterday that he would “do everything I can to save him”.