District attorneys in the trial of previous media magnate Jimmy Lai on Wednesday informed the court that presenting an English edition of Apple Daily ahead of the promulgation of the nationwide security law in 2020 was meant to gather monetary and political assistance from beyond Hong Kong and to lobby for foreign sanctions on Chinese and SAR authorities.
The prosecution likewise declared that some short articles released by the now-defunct outlet established by Lai were meant to promote hatred versus authorities and to require “resistance” versus the main and Hong Kong federal governments.
Lai had previously pleaded innocent to 3 conspiracy charges associating with collusion with foreign forces and sedition.
According to messaging records displayed in court on Wednesday, Lai had actually opened a WhatsApp group with senior management on running Apple Daily’s English edition in 2020.
In the group, Lai had actually stated the paper was not “attempting to strike a balance” and directed personnel to concentrate on “individuals on the side of securing Hong Kong”, district attorneys stated.
The court heard that Lai had actually intended to target foreign readers, especially in the United States, for what he viewed as financial backing and “political defense”.
Federal government district attorney Anthony Chau declared the accused had actually advised previous CEO of Next Digital, Cheung Kim-hung, to advise coworkers accountable for global news not to follow The New York Times and CNN in “targeting” then-US President Donald Trump, while proposing a project for readers to compose to the American leader about Hong Kong.
District attorneys likewise stated 31 of the 161 short articles released by Apple Daily considered seditious connect to collusion and sedition charges Lai deals with, while the rest relate just to the sedition charge.
Providing in court a variety of Apple Daily posts in between 2019 and 2020, Chau declared that seditious declarations were made versus the mainland and SAR federal governments in relation to the extradition expense and the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to “the routine and political order on a broader and more basic basis”.
District attorneys likewise stated Apple Daily contributed HK$ 300,000 in profits from digital membership to a fund run by the now-defunct Civil Human Rights Front.
The prosecution will continue to provide its opening arguments.