Hong Kong: pro-democracy press mogul Jimmy Lai freed on bail
Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy press mogul has been released on bail.
ISAAC LAWRENCE AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media mogul and vehement critic of the Chinese Communist Party, has just been released on bail.
He was remanded in custody under the new national security law two weeks ago.
This is an unexpected High Court ruling that prosecutors immediately challenged.
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From our correspondent in Hong Kong
,
Florence de Changy
It was against his passport and a bond of 10 million Hong Kong dollars, or just over 1 million euros, that High Court judge Alex Lee allowed Jimmy Lai to be released.
Jimmy Lai, however, will not be able to speak publicly or use social media.
He will be under house arrest, except to report to the police, three times a week, normally until the date of his trial scheduled for April.
Two refusals of provisional release
The ruling is all the more surprising given that Hong Kong courts have twice denied Jimmy Lai bail on two occasions recently, including while he was
indicted on fraud
charges, a charge that appeared to have been tailor-made. to put Jimmy Lai in jail.
The man was in jail pending a more serious charge of collusion with foreign powers under the new national security law to be ready, which was the case on 11 December.
The other reason to be surprised is that the judge who rendered the decision is one of the judges chosen by the chief executive, Carrie Lam, to monitor the application of the national security law.
He was therefore expected to confirm the denial of bail.
But no offense to the government and to Beijing, Jimmy Lai is once again a free man, at least temporarily.
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