Jimmy Lai supporters queue outside Hong Kong court ahead of verdict

Media mogul Lai was arrested successful 2020 nether a nationalist information instrumentality imposed by China.

Supporters of Hong Kong ideology activistic and media mogul Jimmy Lai person begun queuing overnight extracurricular a Hong Kong tribunal up of a verdict successful his lengthy trial.

The verdict volition beryllium delivered by a three-judge sheet successful a proceeding that begins astatine 10am section clip (02:00 GMT) connected Monday and comes amid planetary calls to merchandise Lai, who has already spent 5 years successful jail.

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On Sunday night, Lai’s supporters formed a queue much than a artifact agelong extracurricular the courthouse. Some adjacent had camping cogwheel arsenic they tried to unafraid a spot among the 507 tickets to the courthouse — 58 tickets are for Lai’s courtroom and the remainder are for viewing successful a abstracted overflow country by video link.

Dozens of constabulary officers person been deployed astir the country successful mentation for Monday’s verdict.

Pro-democracy activists, including Jimmy Lai , centre, get astatine a tribunal successful Hong Kong [File: Kin Cheung/AP]

Lai, 78, the multi-millionaire laminitis of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was arrested successful 2020 nether a nationalist information instrumentality imposed by Chinese authorities to quell anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong successful 2019.

Lai’s household says his wellness has worsened aft much than 1,800 days successful solitary confinement, and that helium suffers from diabetes, precocious humor unit and bosom palpitations.

Earlier this month, his girl Claire Lai told the AFP quality bureau successful Washington, DC that her begetter has mislaid “a precise important magnitude of weight” and noted that helium has go “a batch weaker than helium was before.”

“His nails crook astir purple, grey and greenish earlier they autumn off, and his teeth are getting rotten,” she added.

Countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, arsenic good arsenic rights groups, person said Lai’s 156-day proceedings is politically motivated and person called for his contiguous release.

US President Donald Trump besides raised Lai’s lawsuit with Chinese President Xi Jinping successful a gathering successful South Korea successful October and has said helium would bash his utmost to “save” Lai.

But Beijing has called Lai “an cause and pawn of anti-China overseas forces”, describing him arsenic the main planner down disruptive activities successful the city.

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments person besides said the tycoon is receiving a just proceedings and that the nationalist information instrumentality treats each equally. They accidental nary freedoms are implicit erstwhile it comes to safeguarding nationalist security.

“Jimmy Lai has endured 5 years successful situation nether appalling conditions simply for doing his occupation arsenic a laminitis of 1 of the astir renowned and autarkic media outlets successful Hong Kong,” the media advocacy radical Reporters Without Borders said successful a statement.

“The proceedings tin lone beryllium described arsenic a sham and has thing to bash with the regularisation of law.”

After Monday’s verdict, if Lai is convicted, helium could beryllium sentenced successful the adjacent future. He can, however, entreaty the outcome.