Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai has been charged under China’s new national security law for the city.
Police said on Friday that the media tycoon had been charged with colluding with foreign forces. Specific details of the allegations against Lai have yet to be released.
Lai is the founder of Apple Daily, a popular anti-government newspaper in Hong Kong. He was arrested earlier this month on fraud charges for which he was denied bail.
Depending on how severe the court determines Lai’s collusion offense was, he could face up to life in a Chinese prison.
Lai was arrested back in August under suspicion that he violated the national security law but was eventually released. The New York Times reported that Friday’s indictment is connected to the August arrest.
When Lai was arrested in August, police raided the offices of Apple Daily. The next day, Apple Daily produced 200,000 more papers than usual, and readers lined up on the street overnight to get a copy.
In a conversation with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo after his release, Lai said he felt it was likely that China would want to make an example out of him.
“But I think after that,” he said, “they will let the law [be] low-profile, make sure that they appease the business people and the international community. So nothing changes. Hong Kong goes on as before.”
The national security law, which was implemented in late June, criminalizes acts of subversion, secession, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. The vague language of the law allows authorities to crack down on China’s dissidents in the city.
