Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was reportedly arrested again on charges of allegedly assisting one of 12 fugitives China captured at sea last year, two of his publications reported.
Lai’s Apple Daily tabloid and Oriental Daily reported the incident on Wednesday, claiming he was detained while awaiting a bail hearing on Thursday, but failed to cite a source.
The arrest would add on top of his previous charges alleging him of colluding with foreign forces in 2020 and committing fraud in 2019. Lai’s collusion charges came after Beijing’s sweeping national security law went into full effect in Hong Kong last year.
The dissidents captured last year could face possible charges in Hong Kong over mass anti-government protests in 2019. One of the fugitives, Andy Li, whom news outlets identified as the person Lai was suspected of helping, is being investigated for suspected national security crimes.
The Chinese coast guard captured the 12 fugitives in August as they tried to flee Hong Kong in a boat suspected to be headed for Taiwan. Ten of them were jailed for terms ranging from seven months to three years for illegal border crossing, and two minors were sent back to Hong Kong.
Lai was arrested in August during a raid with around 200 law enforcement officers in the newsroom of Apple Daily, known for critical coverage of China’s policy.
His arrest was prompted by the national security law’s imposition, though Lai said Beijing’s crackdown against him was to send a message of intimidation. Punishment under the law can amount to life in prison.
The law, which criminalizes acts of subversion, secession, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, is said to restore order after months of pro-democracy protests that are viewed as dissenters against the government, according to Beijing officials. The vague language of the law allows authorities to crack down on China’s dissidents in the city.
