Jimmy Lai asked Apple Daily executive to help UK-based group campaigning for human rights in Hong Kong 2 years before 2019 unrest, court hears
“Pui man, I just had dinner with Ben Rogers. He recently founded HK Watch with some MPs (Members of Parliament), to safeguard Hong Kong’s freedoms. I told him to come to you in case he needed help from the media,” the message read.
Roger’s group had appealed to the UK government to sanction Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and key officials in Hong Kong and mainland China for restricting the city’s freedom.
Hong Kong authorities in 2022 even demanded that the group’s website be taken down on the grounds of national security.
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Chan said what she knew about the group at that time was that it advocated freedom and democracy in Hong Kong and was “very critical” of Beijing.
She told the court they maintained WhatsApp communications till 2019 and added that the group “frequently” sent her press releases after the Hong Kong government proposed changes to fugitive laws.
“From 2017 to 2019, all information he sent me was about their organisation and its releases,” Chan said.
The court heard that the tabloid Apple Daily had reported on Rogers, the then deputy chairman of the UK Conservative Party’s human rights commission, being denied entry to Hong Kong in 2017.
It also published a story on December 31 that year that ran under the headline: “Man of the year: Rogers denied threatening the safety of Hong Kong. ‘I have to speak up for those who do not have rights to speak’.”
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Ivan Cheung Cheuk-kan, an acting assistant director of public prosecutions, asked Chan: “how was he chosen as ‘the man of the year’ for 2017?”
Chan replied: “I don’t remember.”
She earlier confirmed to prosecutors that she was responsible for three key editorial meetings on a daily basis as the highest-ranking editorial employee, during which she gave advice on the content and layout of the newspaper, based on updates by colleagues.
She said she usually attended meetings with Lam Man-chung, the former executive editor-in-chief, and sometimes with Ryan Law Wai-kwong, the former editor-in-chief, who was in charge of the English language online version.
The trio, and three other Apple Daily executives, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy with Lai to collude with foreign forces, which might lead to a lesser penalty for the offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.