Published 18:59 IST, February 23rd 2021
Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai denied bail due to risk of 'committing further of offences'
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is charged under a new national security law, was denied bail due to the risk of his committing further offences.
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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is charged under a new national security law, was denied bail due to the risk of his committing further offences. On February 23, the Hong Kong High Court Judge Anthea Pang announced her decision and said that that she is “not satisfied” that there are sufficient grounds for believing that Lai will not continue to commit acts “endangering” national security if bail is granted to him. It is worth noting that prosecutors have accused Lai of breaching the law over statements he made on July 30 and August 18, in which they allege he requested foreign interference in Hong Kong’s affairs.
Lai, a prominent face in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, has been arrested and released several times. Initially, detained in December last year, Lai was freed on bail. However, last week, the government critic was again sentenced to prison by the city state’s top court.
According to ANI, Lai has been accused of “conspiracy to assist an offender", and "conspiracy to collude with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security" - a crime carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. Lai has been a frequent visitor to Washington, meeting with officials, including former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a “traitor”. He is currently remanded in the maximum-security facility.
Jimmy Lai’s arrest
Jimmy Lai, who is the founder of the clothing company Giordano and popular newspaper Apple Daily, has been jailed under the draconian National Security Law for supporting the pro-democracy camp. The 72-year-old businessman-turned social activist has been under custody since August last year as he was arrested a month after Beijing passed the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
China has garnered a lot of flak from the international community since it passed the controversial National Security Law on June 30, 2020. So far, several social activists, mostly pro-democracy advocates, accused of endangering China's national security have been charged under the law. The United States and several other western nations, including Britain, the former coloniser of Hong Kong, have strongly condemned the implementation of the law, which sparked widespread protests in the city.
(Image: AP)
19:01 IST, February 23rd 2021