Britain said Monday it was “deeply concerned” by the arrest of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, warning that China was silencing political opponents in the city.
“This is further evidence that the national security law is being used to silence the voice of the opposition,” said a spokesman from prime minister Boris Johnson’s office.
“We are deeply concerned by the arrest of Jimmy Lai and six other individuals,” he added.
Lai was arrested Monday and led in handcuffs through his newspaper office as police raided the building, part of a sweeping crackdown on dissent since China imposed a security law on the city.
Among the others arrested were two of Lai’s sons, young pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow and Wilson Li, a former activist who describes himself as a freelance journalist working for Britain’s ITV News.
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