{"id":5431,"date":"2025-12-14T21:36:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T21:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=5431"},"modified":"2025-12-14T21:36:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T21:36:47","slug":"jimmy-lai-supporters-queue-outside-hong-kong-court-ahead-of-verdict-freedom-of-the-press-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=5431","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Lai supporters queue outside Hong Kong court ahead of verdict | Freedom of the Press News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Media mogul Lai was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by China.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 14 Dec 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">14 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Supporters of Hong Kong democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai have begun queuing overnight outside a Hong Kong court ahead of a verdict in his lengthy trial.<\/p>\n<p>The verdict will be delivered by a three-judge panel in a hearing that begins at 10am local time (02:00 GMT) on Monday and comes amid international calls to release Lai, who has already spent five years in jail.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>On Sunday night, Lai\u2019s supporters formed a queue more than a block long outside the courthouse. Some even had camping gear as they tried to secure a spot among the 507 tickets to the courthouse \u2014 58 tickets are for Lai\u2019s courtroom and the rest are for viewing in a separate overflow room by video link.<\/p>\n<p>Dozens of police officers have been deployed around the area in preparation for Monday\u2019s verdict.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3339008\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3339008\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3339008\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AP20259260530041-1732140237.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C514&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Various of groups of pro-democracy activists including Jimmy Lai , center, arrives at a court in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Prominent activists Jimmy Lai and Joshua Wong were among more than two dozen activists appearing in court after being charged of participating in unlawful assembly. They were charged for joining a vigil last June 4 to commemorate the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. While the event has been held every year, authorities did not grant permission for the gathering this year citing concerns over the spread of coronavirus. [AP Photo\/Kin Cheung]\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3339008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pro-democracy activists, including Jimmy Lai , centre, arrive at a court in Hong Kong [File: Kin Cheung\/AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lai, 78, the multi-millionaire founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by Chinese authorities to quell anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Lai\u2019s family says his health has worsened after more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement, and that he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, his daughter Claire Lai told the AFP news agency in Washington, DC that her father has lost \u201ca very significant amount of weight\u201d and noted that he has become \u201ca lot weaker than he was before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as rights groups, have said Lai\u2019s 156-day trial is politically motivated and have called for his immediate release.<\/p>\n<p>US President Donald Trump also raised Lai\u2019s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting in South Korea in October and has said he would do his utmost to \u201csave\u201d Lai.<\/p>\n<p>But Beijing has called Lai \u201can agent and pawn of anti-China foreign forces\u201d, describing him as the main planner behind disruptive activities in the city.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have also said the tycoon is receiving a fair trial and that the national security law treats all equally. They say no freedoms are absolute when it comes to safeguarding national security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJimmy Lai has endured five years in prison under appalling conditions simply for doing his job as a founder of one of the most renowned and independent media outlets in Hong Kong,\u201d the media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trial can only be described as a sham and has nothing to do with the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After Monday\u2019s verdict, if Lai is convicted, he could be sentenced in the near future. He can, however, appeal the outcome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Media mogul Lai was arrested in 2020 under a national security law imposed by China. Published On 14 Dec 202514 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Supporters of Hong Kong democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai have begun queuing overnight outside a Hong Kong court ahead of a verdict [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}