Who is Jimmy Lai and why was the media tycoon arrested by China?

The Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested along with other pro-democracy and media figures by China

His two sons and four employees from his media company were also arrested, and about 200 police officers raided the newspaper’s newsroom.

Jimmy Lai

According to WashingtonPost, Lai was from China and was smuggled into Hong Kong as a child. He worked his way to the top of the city’s clothing industry as the founder of Giordano, a popular retailer.

Lai has also been a consistent supporter of democracy and a critic of the Chinese government and its meddling in Hong Kong.

According to BBC, He started writing columns criticizing the massacre that followed the demonstrations in Beijing and established a publishing house that went on to become one of Hong Kong’s most influential. In 1995, Lai founded the city’s Apple Daily newspaper

Lai openly criticizes the Chinese government and many residents of Hong Kong see him  as a hero. Mr Lai is a rare rebel tycoon who dares to stand up to Beijing. But on the mainland he is viewed as a “traitor” who threatens Chinese national security.

Although he has been attacked by goons and there is a plot to assassin him, Lai continues to raise his voice against the government

According to BBC, Police were seen entering the offices Apple Daily and Mr Lai was led through the offices in handcuffs on Monday, Aug 8. Two of his sons as well as two senior executives of Next Digital, a media company founded by Mr Lai, were also arrested.