London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Hong Kong Democracy Activist Jimmy Lai Released On Bail

Hong Kong Democracy Activist Jimmy Lai Released On Bail

The media tycoon was arrested nearly three weeks ago for allegedly violating the terms of his office lease. He was subsequently charged under China's new Hong Kong national security law.
Media tycoon and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was released on bail Wednesday in Hong Kong, nearly three weeks after his controversial arrest for allegedly violating the terms of his office lease. He was subsequently charged under China's new Hong Kong national security law for colluding with a foreign country, which can bring life in prison.

Lai, 73, is a prominent democracy activist in Hong Kong. His popular newspaper, Apple Daily, is frequently critical of China's heavy-handed policies toward the nominally semi-autonomous city. Lai himself is robust in his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.

Justice Lee Wan-tang of the High Court in Hong Kong, who is designated to hear cases under the national security law, rejected prosecutors' demands that Lai be denied bail but imposed severe restrictions on his release, according to Apple Daily.

Lai must post a cash bail of 10 million Hong Kong dollars ($1.29 million) and is banned from leaving home, granting interviews, using social media, publishing articles and asking foreign organizations or individuals to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.

The national security law was passed by the elite Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in June and imposed on Hong Kong, which democracy advocates say is a violation of the treaty between China and Great Britain guaranteeing the former colony a degree of autonomy for 50 years.

The law criminalizes, in the language of the measure, advocating for Hong Kong secession, subversion against the Chinese government, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

Lai is scheduled to next appear in court on April 16, Apple Daily reported. It's not clear whether a trial would take place in Hong Kong or the mainland.

In an interview in 2019 with NPR's Morning Edition, co-host Steve Inskeep asked Lai whether his fight for Hong Kong democracy is winnable.

"Well, let's put it this way," Lai said. "If we don't fight, we will lose everything. We will lose the rule of law. We will lose the human right. We will lose the way of life that we're used to. We will lose, you know, the freedom we have. But if we fight, that might — you know, there may be a chance. There may be a miracle."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×