Business tycoon Jimmy Lai was granted bail on Monday evening after he had been arrested under the Hong Kong Security Law. The 71-year-old was accused of going against the government and joining hands with the ‘enemy’. He is a prominent democracy activist and regularly questions Beijing and its actions in his tabloid The Apple Daily.
He has been sent animal carcasses by post in the past, as a threat against him and his tabloid. He was arrested under the new Security Law on August 10. Following these, he received a lot of support from all over the world. High profile leaders like US Secretary Mike Pompeo and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson voiced their concerns about this arrest.
What had started as a measure by China to scare its citizens against democracy ended up in a backfire. The Chinese government had tried to make an example out of Jimmy and failed miserably. After this, his tabloid became Hong Kong’s biggest media house overnight with a 1400% stock shoot up.
Jimmy was released on bail on Monday evening. He was swarmed by hundreds of enthusiastic supporters who had cheered him as he left the station. Lai’s arrest has become a rallying point for a bigger protest. China just proved its critics right by abusing the security law. Lai has become the global face of Hong Kong’s resistance to China.