Hong Kong prosecutors asked the city’s top court for an urgent hearing to return Jimmy Lai to jail and overturn a High Court decision to grant the 73-year-old Apple Daily publisher bail pending his trial for alleged offenses under the national security law.

Lai, who has been in custody since Dec. 2, was freed on HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) bail on condition he would not meet foreign officials, make public statements, give interviews or post on social media.

In a Christmas Eve filing to the Court of Final Appeal marked “urgent,” Anthony Chau, the acting deputy director of public prosecutions, said he would be available to attend a hearing at any time over the holiday period.

Lai was first arrested in August for violating the newly installed national security law in a high-profile police swoop that saw more than 200 officers raid the daily’s newsroom to gather evidence. Lai was formally charged and denied bail earlier this month.

The Court of Final Appeal has decided to hear the prosecutors’ appeal next Tuesday.

Lawyer Albert Ho, a former lawmaker and a friend of Lai, told Commercial Radio earlier on Thursday that the defense team had agreed to the harsh bai conditions due to the vehement opposition from prosecutors in previous hearings.

He said that Lai could remain behind bars until 2022 if prosecutors succeeded in dragging out the process citing the need for more time to gather evidence.

Ho said that Lai reluctantly accepted the bail conditions in order to ease the minds of his family and his employees at Next Digital, the company that publishes Apple Daily.

Lai’s Twitter account has been deactivated following the hearing, according to Ho, who added that Lai would be avoiding meeting strangers and that he had no intention of fleeing. Lai was prepared to pay the price in order to fight for freedom in Hong Kong, Ho said.

“At this moment, he [feels he has] to contribute to Hong Kong,” he said.

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