Jimmy Lai called on Hongkongers to protest and drew global attention via Apple Daily, former publisher testifies

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was the supreme leader and final decision maker of Next Digital and had instructed employees to call on Hongkongers to take to the streets via Apple Daily because he believed the city’s democracy and freedoms were suppressed, the newspaper’s former publisher Cheung Kim-hung testified on the 11th day of the trial. 

Sixty-two-year-old Chueng, also the former CEO of Next Digital, testified at the West Kowloon Court on Wednesday as the first accomplice prosecution witness. 

Cheung was one of six former Apple Daily executives charged with colluding with external elements to endanger national security. He pleaded guilty on May 17, 2022. 

In the dock, Cheung said Lai’s image of pursuing democracy and freedoms and his anti-tyranny position had been very clear. He added that following the outbreak of the social unrest in 2019, Lai believed it was necessary to draw the attention of the West and hoped they would provide assistance through strong actions including sanctions. 

Cheung recalled that he joined Next Magazine in 1991 as an editor of the finance section, and was promoted as the magazine’s editor-in-chief in 1994 by Lai. 

The magazine later expanded its business and became a listed company in 1999 in the name of Next Digital Group. The group also owned Apple Daily founded in 1995, as well as various publications such as Easy Finder. 

In 2000, Cheung was asked to join Lai to set up Next Magazine in Taiwan, for which Cheung stayed in Taiwan three days a week between 2001 to 2005. During which, he had been the publisher for the Taiwan Next Magazine, and his title of Hong Kong Next Magazine’s publisher was passed to Cho Siu-chun. 

Cheung left the group in April 2005, saying he hoped to take a rest after seeing the Taiwan Next Magazine was on track and started making profits. He rejoined the group in 2010 upon Lai’s invitation, as the content advisor of Next Magazine in Hong Kong, to contribute on topics including current affairs and finance. 

In April 2011, Lai transferred Cheung as the editor-in-chief of Apple Daily. Cheung was the registered editor for the newspaper under the Registration of Local Newspapers Ordinance between April 2011 and December 2014. 

After that, Cheung said he took up the role of associate publisher “for some time” until 2016, when he was promoted to be the newspaper’s publisher. When asked about the reason behind the promotion, Cheung said: “I believe it was due to Lai’s appreciation to my ability.” 

When asked by national security judge Alex Lee Wan-tang, Cheung said the editor-in-chief was responsible for reviewing and giving approval on all articles in the daily newspaper and “make decisions”; while the role of publisher is to supervise the newspaper at “a higher-level”, and ensure editorial policies suits those outlined by Lai.