Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested under the controversial national security law imposed by China, AFP rep...
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested under the controversial national security law imposed by China, AFP reported on Monday. He is suspected of colluding with foreign forces.
“They arrested him at his house at about 7 am,” Mark Simon, an executive at Lai’s media firm Next Digital, told AFP. “Our lawyers are on the way to the police station.” Simon said other members of Lai’s media group were also taken into custody. The police entered the company’s building to search the offices, according to local media reports.
However, the police have not yet confirmed Lai’s arrest. The police said seven people were arrested on Monday for allegedly violating the national security law.
Lai ventured into the media business when he founded the newspaper Apple Daily in 1995. The tabloid is known for its criticism of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese leadership. Lai has been one of the most vocal critics of China. In 2019, he supported the widespread protests and even participated in some of the demonstrations.
The Chinese state media dubbed him a “riot’s mastermind” who “has spread waves of hatred and negative information about the Chinese mainland day and night”. It also called him a traitor and the head of a new “Gang of Four” which...
