Hong Kong media tycoon arrested

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying walks out of Kowloon Police Station after he was granted bail on Friday afternoon in Hong Kong. The local media tycoon was arrested on two counts earlier that day. AFP

Prominent Hong Kong figures stressed on Friday that everyone is equal under the law, including local media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was arrested on two counts earlier in the day. Some added the arrest was supported by sufficient evidence.

The city's former chief executive Leung Chun-ying underlined in a social media post that anyone who breaks the law in Hong Kong will be brought to justice in accordance with the law.

Leung added that political power should not be allowed to stand above the law, no matter what powerful connections one has or whether one has support from foreign powers.

Lai, founder of Apple Daily, was arrested for allegedly participating in an unlawful assembly on Aug 31,2019 and intimidating a journalist in 2017.

The illegal anti-government mass rally attended by Lai descended into violence and vandalism, with radicals attacking the Legislative Council building and police headquarters and setting fires. It was among the many organized assemblies during the course of more than seven months of often violent protests triggered in June by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.

Lai has also been accused of fueling social unrest by colluding with foreign powers. In November, he met four leading United States politicians and enlisted their support for the anti-government movement in Hong Kong, according to media reports.

Barrister Lawrence Ma Yankwok, who chairs the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, said the two counts against Lai have been supported by sufficient superficial evidence.

He added that Lai was seen to have made gestures toward the journalist, who allegedly was intimidated by him. What's more, in the unauthorized rally last year, Lai appeared in front of the procession and publicly expressed support for the rally.

Ma suggested police collect more evidence before charging Lai, considering his social influence and connections.

Barrister and lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun said she believes the arrest of Lai, over two years after the intimidation case, is based on sufficient evidence and logical analysis.

She urged the government to accelerate arrests and prosecutions of other lawbreakers who had committed more serious crimes amid the social unrest, such as burning innocent bystanders or attacking police officers with gasoline bombs.

In addition to Lai, two other participants of the assembly－Lee Cheuk-yan, from the Labour Party, and Yeung Sum, ex-lawmaker and former chief of the Democratic Party－were also arrested on Friday.

They were later granted bail and the cases of the three suspects will be heard at Eastern Magistrates' Courts on May 5, police said.

According to the Public Order Ordinance and Crimes Ordinance, both illegal assembly and criminal Intimidation can lead to a maximum penalty of five years in prison.