Jimmy Lai, a Democrat from Hong Kong, concludes his testimony at the national security trial.

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media billionaire and pro-democracy champion, concluded testifying in court on Thursday in a historic national security trial where he is accused of conspiring with foreign forces and sedition.

Thursday was day 144 of Lai’s trial and his 52nd day in the witness box, after which he thanked the judges and waved to his fans.

Lai, 77, the creator of the Apple Daily newspaper, which was forced to close after a police search and asset freeze in June 2021, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to conspire with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious content.

Lai, whose health is fragile according to his family, faces a possible life sentence under a China-imposed national security law.

Some countries, including the US and Britain, have called for his immediate release alleging the trial is political.

Lai’s plight has become a friction point between the US and China, with Donald Trump saying he would “one hundred percent” get Lai out of the country.

Over weeks of testimony, Lai spoke candidly on topics including his defence of free speech and the media, while rejecting allegations by the prosecution that he had lobbied the US to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.

He also stayed stubborn in the face of relentless cross-examination. In one discussion, he referred to himself as a “political prisoner,” but one judge, Esther Toh, rejected this, stating that Lai was in court to face a criminal accusation. Lai claimed he had the right to disagree.

Before wrapping up his cross-examination, prosecutor Anthony Chau listed out the three counts, alleged conspiracies, and co-conspirators, and asked Lai whether he agreed with them.

“Of course, I disagree.” “Totally rubbish,” Lai said.

Lai also stated that he did not know one of the suspected co-conspirators, Andy Li.

Lai has been in solitary confinement for almost 1,500 days since December 2020.

Former US Vice President Mike Pence, speaking in Hong Kong in January, urged Beijing to end Lai’s torture.

“There’s probably no more compelling gesture in the short term, to send a message of goodwill to the people of the United States or the free world, than if China took steps to free Jimmy Lai,” Pence said at a closed-door investor conference, a recording of which Reuters examined.

Hong Kong officials claim Lai’s prosecution is fair, and the national security law has restored calm following 2019’s large pro-democracy protests.

A specific date for a ruling has not been announced, but a judge has lately hinted that it may be in October.