Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Pleads Not Guilty in National Security Trial, Faces Life Imprisonment
• Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty to sedition and collusion charges in Hong Kong national security trial • Lai faces possible life imprisonment for charges related to seditious publications and colluding with foreign countries • Prosecutors allege Lai was "mastermind" behind a conspiracy and used his media platform to advance political agenda • Lai's trial seen as a test of Hong Kong's freedoms and judicial independence under security law • Hong Kong's press freedoms have faced "unprecedented setback" since 2020 imposition of security law