For decades, Jimmy Lai has embodied the spirit of defiance in Hong Kong. He fled Communist China at the age of 12 to work in a garment factory, launched a pro-democracy media empire after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and became one of the world’s best known critics of Beijing.
The city got a different glimpse of Lai on a recent Saturday in December: Shackled at the wrists, with a metal chain around his waist, the 73-year-old shuffled slowly into court flanked by two correctional officers.
Prosecutors charged Lai under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in June, saying he colluded with foreigners by calling for sanctions against China. Lai was released on bail on Wednesday.