The 71-year-old media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai was arrested on Monday during a large police operation in Hong Kong. Now the supporter of the democracy movement was released on bail.
Hong Kong (dpa) - After more than 40 hours in police custody, media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai was released on bail in Hong Kong. When leaving a police station, the publisher was cheered by several dozen supporters of the democracy movement.
According to the newspaper "South China Morning Post", Lai had to deposit the equivalent of around 32,000 euros in bail and an additional security payment. Several other activists were also released on bail.
Lai and several colleagues were arrested on Monday during a large police operation. It was the biggest blow to date against the democracy movement since China introduced a controversial security law in late June. Beijing is heavily criticized for its Hong Kong policy. The law targets activities that the communist leadership in Beijing sees as subversive, separatist, or terrorist.
Since the return of the former British crown colony to China in 1997, Hong Kong has been governed autonomously with its own civil liberties. From the point of view of critics, the law means the end of the "one country, two systems" principle that has been pursued since then. It is also viewed as a violation of China's international legal obligations in returning Hong Kong.
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