Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai faces charges for June 4 vigil

Apple Daily founder and three activists to be prosecuted over unauthorized assembly

Founder of Apple Daily Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, center, has been notified by police that he will be charged for his role in holding an unauthorized candlelight vigil to mark the 31st anniversary of the crackdown of pro-democracy protesters at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989. © Reuters

KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asian Review chief business news correspondent

June 11, 2020 22:12 JST

Updated on June 11, 2020 23:39 JST

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong police on Thursday notified Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, and three other prominent pro-democracy activists that they will face charges over their roles in holding an unauthorized vigil to commemorate the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

Even though authorities banned the event for the first time in three decades citing coronavirus concerns, thousands still gathered in Victoria Park and other parts of the city.