(Hong Kong—Feb. 28, 2020) According to a BBC report, Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy businessman, was arrested on charges of illegal assembly and criminal intimidation.
Lai is a clothing and media mogul. He founded Apple Daily in 1995, which broke the story of his arrest. The outlet is often critical of both the Chinese and Hong Kong governements.
The illegal assembly charge is for Lai’s involvement in an anti-government march in Hong Kong on Aug. 31, 2018. The protest was banned by the government officials and turned violent as the day progressed. Two politicians, Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum, were also arrested on this charge.
The intimidation charge is over a clash with an Oriental Daily journalist in 2017. The police briefly investigated the incident the next year, but did not pursue it further until now. Oriental Daily is considered a pro-Beijing competitor of Apple Daily.
The three will appear in the Eastern Magistrate Court on May 5.
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