Supporters of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai queued outside a Hong Kong court overnight before Monday's verdict in his landmark trial as international calls have grown to release the China critic who has already spent five years in jail.

Lai, 78, the millionaire founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and one of the most prominent critics of China's increasingly tight controls under President Xi Jinping, has pleaded not guilty to the three charges against him.

Two counts — of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security — carry prison terms of up to life in prison for Lai, a British citizen.

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