International leaders condemn Hong Kong arrests

Police on Monday arrested pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow Ting and media tycoon Jimmy Lai, as well as two of Lai’s sons and executives from Lai’s Next Digital. His company operates Apple Daily, a popular tabloid newspaper in Hong Kong that supports pro-democracy protests and frequently condemns the Chinese government. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the sweeping enforcement of the new national security law enacted by China in Hong Kong.

What will happen to those arrested? Police did not provide details of the charges they face. The maximum punishment for breaking the national security law is life imprisonment. Police also raided Next Digital’s headquarters—the first time China has used the national security law against the media.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on Hong Kong’s diminishing freedoms.