By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret

HONG KONG, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s High Court will hand down a verdict against pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai next Monday, ‍according to a notice on the city’s judiciary website, in a landmark national security trial that has drawn international scrutiny.

Lai, 78, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to ‌publish seditious material in a case where ‌he faces life imprisonment if convicted.

The 156-day trial, which began in December 2023, has become the most high-profile example of China’s crackdown on rights and freedoms in the Asian financial hub under a sweeping national security law that was imposed after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Some countries, including t

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