Hong Kong Media Mogul Jimmy Lai Denied Bail For Alleged Fraud

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Jimmy Lai, publisher of the China-skeptic Apple Daily newspaper, is seen in custody in Hong Kong on Thursday. Charged with fraud, he can expect to be in custody until at least April 16, when his case will be heard next.

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Who Is Jimmy Lai? Prominent Hong Kong Publisher Faces New National Security Law

Who Is Jimmy Lai? Prominent Hong Kong Publisher Faces New National Security Law

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It is not Lai’s first — or even second — arrest this year. His highly visible efforts with Apple Daily, together with his full-throated backing of pro-democracy protests and public attempts to enlist U.S. support, have frequently attracted the glare of government attentions.

He and more than a dozen other activists were arrested last April for allegedly organizing and participating in unauthorized assemblies. And in August, Lai and several other individuals — including his two sons — were arrested under a controversial new national security law imposed just over one month earlier by Beijing.

That law effectively criminalized dissent in the city, a former British colony that long enjoyed a measure of autonomy since its return to Chinese control in 1997. But much of that legal autonomy was sidestepped in late June under the legislation, which set up a separate channel by which Hongkongers who run afoul of Beijing may be tried by Chinese laws and face life imprisonment.

Suspected of violating the new law, Lai was accused in August of colluding with foreign forces, and the Apple Daily newsroom was raided by some 200 police officers. Unlike his latest encounter with the law, the wealthy media magnate was quickly released on bail after his arrests earlier this year.

Lai is perhaps the most prominent individual to be caught in Hong Kong’s sweeping crackdown on dissent recently — but he is far from the only one. Just one day before his hearing, three prominent Hong Kong opposition activists received months of jail time for organizing mass demonstrations against the Beijing-backed government.