Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court, in Hong Kong, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020.
Lai, who founded the Apple Daily tabloid, has been charged under the citys national security law, amid a widening crackdown on dissent, according to local media reports.
(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)HONG KONG – Jimmy Lai, the 73-year-old Hong Kong media tycoon and advocate for democracy, was denied bail Saturday after being charged the previous day under the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's new national security law.
Lai faces a charge of collusion with foreign elements to endanger national security, apparently for tweets he made and interviews or commentaries he did with foreign media.
Lai, the highest-profile person charged under the security law, has also been arrested for other alleged offenses this year.