London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Who are Jimmy Lai and Agnes Chow, two of the Hong Kong democracy advocates arrested Monday?

Who are Jimmy Lai and Agnes Chow, two of the Hong Kong democracy advocates arrested Monday?

The fears of many pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, which have been building since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law over the territory earlier this summer, were realized Monday with the arrest of a media tycoon, his sons, a young activist and others — the most prominent arrests under the law to date.

The arrests targeted two of the city’s best-known pro-democracy figures: newspaper mogul Jimmy Lai, 71, whose resistance to Beijing dates back to the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre; and Agnes Chow, 23, a leader in the new generation of activists.

The imposition of the new security law triggered fierce international criticism and escalated tensions with the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other officials for “undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly” last week, citing the legislation.

Who is Jimmy Lai?


Originally from mainland China, Lai was smuggled into Hong Kong as a child, according to Reuters, and worked his way to the top of the city’s clothing industry as the founder of Giordano, a popular retailer.

By his account, the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre awakened his political consciousness.

“I was Chinese but could never relate to China,” Lai said in a New York Times interview later that year. “I lived with that typical contradiction of overseas Chinese. But the students in Tiananmen changed all that.”

In 1995, two years before Britain handed Hong Kong over to China, Lai founded the city’s Apple Daily newspaper. At the time, for many residents of the city, the idea of China withdrawing the city’s political freedoms seemed far removed.

Under the “One country, two systems” model after the handover, Hong Kong was supposed to retain a high degree of autonomy until 2047.

But as Beijing’s moves to restrict freedoms in the territory became more concerted and frequent in recent years, Lai’s pro-democracy appeals gained urgency.

His newspaper and news site remain one of the city’s most-read publications, despite recent financial pressure.



Police lead pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai away from his home on Monday. (Vernon Yuen/AFP/Getty Images)



Lai made no secret of his criticism of Beijing, drawing rebukes from mainland Chinese outlets that accused him of treason.

He met with Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last year.

At home in Hong Kong, Lai continued to participate in numerous pro-democracy rallies, amid growing tensions. In February, he was arrested over his earlier participation in an unauthorized protest but was later released.

The national security law heightened the stakes, introducing potential lifelong prison sentences.

“I’m prepared for prison,” Lai told Agence France-Presse earlier this summer.

His activism, he maintained in an interview with his own paper, was his responsibility alone. The assurance did not stop the arrest of his sons or a raid on the Apple Daily offices.

“Hong Kong’s press freedom is now hanging by a thread, but our staff will remain fully committed to our duty to defend the freedom of the press,” the newspaper’s publishing company, Next Digital, said in a statement.

Who is Agnes Chow?




Chow became widely known during the 2014 student protests in Hong Kong, when she was 17.

A key figure in the new generation of pro-democracy protesters, Chow said she became engaged in politics through social media groups when she was 15.

During student protests at the time, she connected with activists who later became prominent faces of the city’s youth protest movement.

Seeking to seize on the momentum of the 2014 protests, the group founded the pro-democracy Demosistō party in 2016, which has been a frequent target for authorities in recent years.

Chow renounced her British citizenship to run for the city’s Legislative Council in 2018. But her bid for public office was rejected after she published a pro-democracy manifesto in which she called for Hong Kong’s self-determination.

“The ban against me isn’t personal,” Chow told the Guardian, responding to the ban at the time. It is “targeting an entire generation of young people who have a different view from the government.”

After police arrested her at a pro-democracy protest last summer, she was banned from leaving the city. Her appeals were rejected.

“We are just small ants in front of the Chinese government, and if they wish to — of course I don’t want to see it happening but — something like [the] Tiananmen crackdown could take place,” she said in a Skype conversation with Japanese students in January, according to a recording obtained by the Nikkei Asian Review.

Chow is fluent in Japanese, a language she taught herself, and has a substantial base of support in Japan.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×