The founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily faces possible life in prison on charges of foreign collusion.

Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai He is serving a life sentence on national security charges as rights groups and Western governments continue to call for his release.

The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily will appear before three High Court judges at 10am local time (02:00 GMT) for an hour-long hearing to hear his sentence, according to the justice department.

Lai has spent more than five years in prison as the trial progressed.

In December, he was found guilty on two counts of collusion with foreign countries and one count of inflammatory publications under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing.

The court is expected to first determine whether Jimmy Lai’s collusion crime is “serious in nature” and, if so, impose a prison sentence of 10 years to life. The colonial-era seditious publication offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he raised Lai’s case during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, adding that the discussion was “respectful.”

Lai is a British citizen.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also called for Jimmy Lai’s release.

“It’s just a guessing game”

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement that Lai’s trial “has been nothing more than a guessing game from the beginning and shows a complete disregard for Hong Kong’s laws that are supposed to protect press freedom.”

Reporters Without Borders said the verdict “will go far beyond Jimmy Lai and send a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in Hong Kong.”

Beijing has dismissed such criticism as an attempt to discredit Hong Kong’s judicial system, while Hong Kong authorities insist Lai’s case has “nothing to do with freedom of speech and press”.

Dozens of police officers and an armored vehicle were deployed outside the West Kowloon Court before the verdict was announced, and dozens of people, including reporters, gathered outside the court.

Hong Kong Free Press reported that police detained a woman after she found an Apple Daily keychain on her body. At least two other activists were also raided, including Zeng Jiancheng, a member of the now-defunct Social Democratic Alliance.

“We hope (Lai Chi-ying) can regain his freedom… I am worried because he is old,” Zeng told AFP.

Lai’s family, lawyers, supporters and former colleagues have warned he could die in prison. suffering from health problemsincluding heart palpitations and high blood pressure.

In addition to Jimmy Lai, six former senior Apple Daily staff members, an activist and a paralegal will also be sentenced.

The verdict comes against the backdrop of tightened restrictions on media in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said that in 2024, dozens of journalists faced “systematic and organized” harassment and intimidation, including leaks of personal information and death threats.

According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 900 Hong Kong journalists lost their jobs within four years of the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law.