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       Arrested in 2020, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Tycoon Gets His Day in Court

       Jimmy Lai, who published an antigovernment newspaper, faces up to life in prison if convicted on national security charges that rights activists have called baseless.

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       Jimmy Lai at Stanley Prison in Hong Kong in July. Credit...Louise Delmotte/Associated Press

       By Tiffany May and Alexandra Stevenson

       Reporting from Hong Kong

       Published Dec. 17, 2023Updated Dec. 18, 2023, 3:18 a.m. ET

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       Unlike other Hong Kong tycoons who were careful not to provoke China’s leaders, Jimmy Lai had long been a proud rebel. He founded a newspaper with a decidedly anti-Beijing slant. He was a prominent face at massive pro-democracy protests. He lobbied American officials to protest the city’s declining autonomy.

       Then, in 2020, Mr. Lai was arrested, becoming one of the first prominent targets of a national security law imposed by Beijing to crush the opposition. On Monday, after three years in prison and unusually lengthy procedural delays, Mr. Lai was finally having his day in court.

       When Mr. Lai, 76, entered the courtroom, wearing a khaki blazer over a blue shirt, members of his family and dozens of supporters seated in the gallery waved at him. He waved back and smiled, after taking a seat in a booth enclosed by glass.

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       Tiffany May covers news from Asia. She joined The Times in 2017. More about Tiffany May

       Alexandra Stevenson is the Shanghai bureau chief for The Times, reporting on China’s economy and society. More about Alexandra Stevenson

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