Lai, whose company Next Digital publishes Apple Daily newspaper, is accused of sedition, criminal fraud and colluding with foreign forces
Newspaper’s owner is accused of sedition, criminal fraud and colluding with foreign forces under new security lawMedia mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, is detained in Hong Kong, China, August 10 2020. Picture: REUTERS/TYRONE SIU
His arrest comes amid Beijing’s crackdown on prodemocracy opposition in the city and further stokes concerns about media and other freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to China in 1997. China imposed the sweeping new security law on Hong Kong on June 30, drawing condemnation from Western countries.
The security law punishes anything China considers to be subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged prodemocracy protests in 2019. Apple Daily posted a livestream on its Facebook page of police officers roaming through its newsroom and rifling through files, and asking staff for identity documents. Some executive offices were sealed off with red cordon tape. The police later wheeled in stacks of empty plastic containers. Lai himself was brought back to the office, initially in handcuffs.
In major cases in Hong Kong, the central government in Beijing can claim jurisdiction. The legislation allows agents to take suspects across the border for trials in Communist Party-controlled courts. “We see this as straight harassment,” an Apple Daily source said, adding that Lai was arrested on suspicion of sedition, criminal fraud and colluding with foreign forces. Next Media Trade Union called the search “an extremely rare and serious incident in Hong Kong history”, with a “catastrophic” impact. It said journalists “will continue to guard their posts until the last minute”.
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