On Trial: Jimmy Lai's Fate, Hong Kong's Values – and Britain's Role

David Green argues that the 'farcical' trial of the businessman and publisher challenges the illusion that basic freedoms and the rule of law still exist in Hong Kong

A pro Jimmy Lai banner tied to the railings during as Hong Kong community members, residents and activist groups marched in central London to protest the proposed building of a new Chinese mega Embassy, 23 August 2025. Photo: SOPA Images Limited/Alamy

Jimmy Lai, a successful British businessman and publisher, has been imprisoned in Hong Kong for nearly five years for the crime of supporting democracy. Closing arguments in his farcical trial, which finally wrapped last Thursday, suggest trouble ahead as Hong Kong tries to maintain the illusion that rule of law, rather than the rule of the Communist Party, still matters in the city.

A three-judge panel, picked from a list of national security jurists curated by Beijing, has heard months of testimony. But it’s a show trial in a city state that less than a decade ago was one of the world’s most liberal places. It is widely assumed that the judges will find Lai, 77, guilty of the charges against him – conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to print seditious articles.

Collusion: The kinds of conversations that important publishers regularly have with people around the world. Sedition: The kinds of articles that every publisher runs in a free city.