Hong Kong media tycoon’s plea to dismiss sedition charge rejected

A court on Friday rejected the plea of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying to dismiss charges of sedition against him.

Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping at the West Kowloon Court said the prosecutors had filed the sedition charges "within the statutory time limit," Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK reported.

The court said the prosecutors "did not violate" the criminal procedures during the process.

Jimmy has been undergoing a national security trial since early this week.

The 76-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper is accused of "colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring to print seditious publications."

The trial is expected to last at least 80 days.

The newspaper was closed in 2021 after the local government arrested its executives and froze its assets. Jimmy has been in jail since 2020.

China implemented its controversial national security law in the semi-autonomous region on July 1, 2020.

The law criminalizes anti-China sentiments in the region, which continued to serve as a vibrant economic hub after the UK handed it over to Beijing in 1997 under a vow that it would enjoy a high level of autonomy for 50 years.

It has triggered criticism from the US, the UK and their allies, but Beijing rejects it as an interference in its internal affairs.