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

Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai is set to be sentenced over national security crimes that could see him jailed for life, as rights groups and Western governments continue to call for his release.

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

Lai has already spent more than five years behind bars as the trial has progressed.

He was found guilty in December on two counts of foreign collusion under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, as well as one count of seditious publication.

The court is expected to first decide whether Lai’s collusion offences were “of a grave nature” and, if so, impose a prison term of between 10 years and life. The colonial-era offence of seditious publication comes with a maximum penalty of two years.

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

Lai is a British citizen.

United States President Donald Trump has also called for Lai’s release.

‘Nothing but a charade’

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement that Lai’s trial “has been nothing but a charade from the start and shows total contempt for Hong Kong laws that are supposed to protect press freedom”.

Reporters Without Borders said the sentencing “will resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself, sending a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in the territory”.

Beijing has dismissed such criticism as attempts to smear Hong Kong’s judicial system, while Hong Kong authorities maintain that Lai’s case “has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press”.

Ahead of the sentencing, dozens of police officers and an armoured vehicle were deployed outside the West Kowloon court, as dozens of people, including journalists, gathered outside.

Hong Kong Free Press reported that police detained a woman after finding an Apple Daily keychain in her possession. At least two other activists were also searched, including Tsang Kin-shing, a member of the now-disbanded League of Social Democrats.

“We hope that [Lai] can regain his freedom… I am worried, because of his advanced age,” Tsang told AFP news agency.

Lai’s family, lawyer, supporters and former colleagues have warned that he could die in prison as he suffers from health conditions, including heart palpitations and high blood pressure.

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

The sentencing comes against the backdrop of heightened restrictions on the Hong Kong press.

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

According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 900 Hong Kong journalists lost their jobs in the four years following the enactment of the national security law in the city.