A court in Hong Kong rejected an application to dissolve a national security trial against pro-democracy Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai, who, if convicted, could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Lai founded Apple Daily, and he has been one of the biggest critics of the Chinese Community Party in Hong Kong, including leader Xi Jinping, per Reuters.

Lai’s three companies, Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited, and AD Internet Limited, have been on the receiving end of three national security charges, apparently including collusion with foreign forces. China instituted the national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, when pro-democracy demonstrations raged across the city. This law brings a potential life sentence to those who have been charged with collusion, subversion, and terrorism.