HONG KONG – Jimmy Lai, a publication tycoon and leading critic of the Chinese Communist Party, has been accused of collaborating with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law, police said Friday as Beijing seeks to intensify efforts to intensify the city’s riots. Democratic movement.
Mr. La is the highest profile person to be formally charged under the Security Act. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
Mr Lane, 73, was arrested in August on suspicion of violating security laws imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in June. Police also raided the headquarters of Mr. Paul’s daily, Apple Paul Daily, one of the city’s last anti-Beijing publications.
Mr Lai has urged other countries to punish China for eroding independence in Hong Kong. He traveled to the U.S. last year to meet with officials, including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And he has vowed to ban Chinese officials.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. As of writing, the law is not considered a precursor. Since it was imposed, Mr. Law has said he will be more careful about his words.
More than two dozen others have been arrested under the measure. Tony Chung, 19, an activist who was also charged under the law, was convicted on Friday of insulting the Chinese national flag and participating in an illegal assembly last year. A separate hearing is pending on the charges under trial under the National Security Act.
Mr Lai was already in jail after being denied bail on unrelated fraud charges, a decision he is appealing. But because of the charge under the National Security Act, which gives officers the power to arrest defendants without bail, it is unlikely that he will be released.
The law also shifts the legal landscape for Mr. Lai. Defendants may be tried in the main country, China, where the legal system is significantly more opaque than in Hong Kong.
Even if Mr. Lane is prosecuted in Hong Kong, security law empowers the city’s chief executive, who is chosen by Beijing, to appoint special judges, and the hearing can be held behind closed doors.
Mr La is scheduled to appear in court on Saturday, police said.
