Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai and two other pro-democracy activists have been arrested on charges of illegal assembly, local media reported.
Lai, a critic of Beijing and a self-made multi-millionaire who has been a major financial patron of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, was reportedly picked up by police at his house on Friday.
The trio is accused of joining a rally on August 31 that had been banned by police for security reasons. If convicted, they could be jailed for up to five years for taking part in an “unauthorised assembly”. They are due to appear in court on 5 May.
The arrests come after months of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, often followed by brutal crackdown by security forces that began when people took to the streets to reject a bill that would have facilitated extradition to China.
The protests evolved into a wider movement calling for greater freedoms in what is the most concerted challenge to Beijing’s rule since the former British colony’s 1997 handover.
However, Beijing denies that it is tightening its grip over the city and blames the West for provoking unrest.
Hong Kong publisher Lai arrested over pro-democracy march
EPA-EFE/LAUREL CHOR
Riot police stand guard as anti-government protesters hold a demonstration against police violence in Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Hong Kong, China, 13 August 2019. Air passengers are facing a second day of disruption as most outbound flights from Hong Kong were again cancelled on 13 August as thousands of anti-government protesters occupied the airport terminal. Hong Kong has been gripped for weeks by mass protests, which began in June 2019 over a now-suspended extradition bill to China and have developed into an anti-government movement.
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