Hong Kong rejects activist Jimmy Lai’s bid to have jury trial for libel case

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai pauses during an interview in Hong Kong (Vincent Yu/AP)

A Hong Kong court has rejected jailed publisher Jimmy Lai ’s request to have a jury trial for his libel case against a pro-Beijing newspaper in the latest setback for the activist who suffered multiple blows in other legal battles.

Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is one of the city’s leading activists who was prosecuted under a sweeping national security law during Beijing’s crackdown on dissent.