HONG KONG -- Monday's arrest of the pro-democracy Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under China's new national security law has fanned fears for the press freedom that the territory is supposed to enjoy under the "one country, two systems" framework.
The apprehension of the Apple Daily founder and the raid on the offices of its publisher, Next Digital, is seen as an attempt to silence one of the only newspapers in Hong Kong with a pro-democracy editorial bent. During the search -- livestreamed by Next Digital -- 200 police officers combed the premises for nearly five hours, seizing 25 boxes of materials.
