Hong Kong court postpones closing arguments in Jimmy Lai trial
The city's weather observatory issued its highest-level rainstorm warning for around three hours on Thursday morning, prompting the judiciary to cancel hearings for the day. Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, faces a foreign collusion charge under Hong Kong's national security law, imposed by Beijing after the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
He has been in custody since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, and also faces a 'seditious publication' charge related to 161 opinion pieces he allegedly wrote.
Western governments and rights groups have called for his release, while Hong Kong authorities insist the case is being handled in accordance with the law. Judges have indicated a verdict could come by October.
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