Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy figure, took the stand on Wednesday for the first time in court since his arrest nearly four years ago, saying his newspaper represented the freedoms that people in the city valued.

       One of the most vocal critics of China's ruling Communist Party, Mr. Lai, 77, is accused of being the mastermind behind anti-government protests that swept across the city in 2019. Prosecutors in a landmark national security trial have charged him with conspiring and colluding with “foreign forces.” They say he led a campaign to get foreign governments to target Hong Kong and China with sanctions in response to moves by the authorities to crush dissent.

       Mr. Lai, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to life in prison if convicted.

       Mr. Lai for decades ran a popular newspaper, Apple Daily, that championed pro-democracy voices. The paper, now shuttered, was at the forefront of the 2019 demonstrations, amplifying protest slogans and publishing editorials and cartoons urging people in Hong Kong to join the movement.

       Taking the stand, Mr. Lai said Apple Daily reflected the values of the Hong Kong people when asked by his defense team why he got into the media business.

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       “The more information you have, the more you’re in the know, the more you are free,” Mr. Lai said in a packed courtroom.

       Steven Kwan, his defense attorney, asked Mr. Lai what Apple Daily’s core values were. Mr. Lai responded, “Rule of law, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly.”

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