The national security trial of British media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been delayed after the Hong Kong observatory issued its highest rainstorm warning.
Closing arguments were set to begin on Thursday but the hearing was adjourned until after the torrential rain subsided.
Mr Lai,77, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily, is facing the prospect of life in prison if found guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kong’s national security law.
He has pleaded not guilty.
The Hong Kong Judiciary announced the adjournment of all court and tribunal hearings for Thursday after the city issued its highest-level "black" weather warning at around 7.50am local time.
The alert was sounded after tropical storm Podul drenched southern China, dumping over 70mm of rain in an hour on the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi.
Mr Lai has been in prison for nearly four years for his role in the pro-democracy protests of 2019, which led to Beijing imposing the national security law in the city.
This week, Reporters Without Borders said in a statement that Mr Lai's health had deteriorated after being in solitary confinement since 2021.
The watchdog said he had been restricted to just 50 minutes of “exercise” a day and barely allowed natural light.
The media tycoon's son, Sebastien Lai, claimed last year that his father, who suffers from diabetes, had lost significant weight and that he had been denied independent medical care.
"I don't want my father to die in jail," he said in March, urging the British government to do more to secure Mr Lai's release.
The trial began in December 2023 and was originally scheduled to last 80 days.
Mr Lai provided testimony for about 50 days, answering questions about his political ideology, overseas contacts, alleged bid to collude with foreign powers, and calls for sanctions on the Chinese government.
He repeatedly denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong and maintained that he had never advocated separatism.
His trial prompted Western governments to accuse Beijing of weaponising the legal system to silence dissent.
President Donald Trump claimed last year he would “100 per cent” get Mr Lai out of jail while British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer issued multiple calls for his immediate release.
Mr Lai’s son sought a meeting with Sir Keir earlier this year to discuss his father’s case. “It is ridiculous that in his display of bravery, the prime minister will not meet with me,” he previously told The Independent.
Antoine Bernard of Reporters without Borders said this week that Mr Lai had been “subjected to inhumane conditions, stripped of every shred of dignity and freedom” since his arrest.
"His treatment exposes the authorities’ ruthless determination to silence and suppress one of the most prominent advocates for press freedom amid Hong Kong’s rapidly deteriorating media landscape."
The three presiding judges have reportedly indicated that a verdict could be reached by October.
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