The trial for Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai on charges of ‘colluding with foreign forces’ and ‘conspiracy to publish seditious publications’ has resumed, according to a report in BBC. Lai is being prosecuted under the National Security Law (NSL) that Beijing imposed on the city in 2020. The case, which began in December 2023, is being closely watched as a key indicator of Hong Kong’s judicial independence and the state of its press freedom. The trial is being heard by three government-appointed national security judges without a jury, a departure from the city’s common law tradition that has drawn international criticism. A conviction could result in a life sentence for Lai, whose pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced to close in 2021.