STORY: Queues formed outside the court building on the night before the closely anticipated trial, with scores of police deployed.Lai, the founder of now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China's Communist Party leadership, has faced a salvo of litigation since a wave of pro-democracy protests in 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.The 76-year-old is charged with colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law. The case will start from Monday and is expected to last for at least 80 days.Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges.Western democracies, including the United States, Britain and the European Union, are watching closely, with the trial looming as a fresh diplomatic flashpoint and a key test for Hong Kong's judicial independence and freedoms under the sweeping national security law imposed by China in 2020.Britain on Sunday toughened its stance towards the plight of Lai - a British citizen - by explicitly calling on authorities to release him.