A Hong Kong media tycoon and prominent Beijing critic has been arrested under China's new national security law, with scores of police searching the offices of his daily newspaper.
Jimmy Lai, 71, has been one of the leading democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party.
Western countries were quick to condemn Beijing when it imposed the sweeping new law on Hong Kong on June 30, and it was widely believed Mr Lai was among the targets of the draconian new legislation. On Monday, Police raided Mr Lai's newspaper Apple Daily's office building, going through documents and searching the newsroom.
"Each week it's something new. What Beijing is doing in Hong Kong is straight from the playbook of the paranoid dictator," New York Times Asian-based tech reporter Paul Mozur tweeted.
"It continues to be jaw dropping to watch this global city fall under the pall of China's hard authoritarianism."
The details of the so-called national security laws were kept secret until after they were passed but allow Beijing to punish Hong Kong residents for dissent or for protesting, with harsh penalties including jail time. AOL.
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