Hong Kong court orders media publisher Jimmy Lai back into custody

Hong Kong's top court has remanded media and publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, the most high-profile person to be charged under the Chinese-ruled city's national security law, in custody until another bail hearing on Feb. 1.

The Court of Final Appeal's ruling comes a week after Lai, one of Hong Kong's most prominent democracy activists who is accused of colluding with foreign forces, was released on $1.3 million US bail along with extensive restrictions that included barring him from using social media.

Prosecutors immediately appealed against the bail decision.

Beijing imposed the legislation on the former British colony in June that critics say aims to crush dissent and erode freedoms in the semi-autonomous, Chinese-ruled city — charges that authorities in Hong Kong and China reject.

Lai, a critic of Beijing who had been a frequent visitor to Washington, is widely believed to be a target of the new legislation.

Lai is among a string of pro-democracy activists and supporters arrested by Hong Kong police in recent months as authorities step up their crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. 

On Tuesday, Lai resigned as chairman and executive director of Next Digital, which runs the Apple Daily newspaper, according to a filing made to the Hong Kong stock exchange. He did so "to spend more time dealing with this personal affairs" and confirmed that he had no disagreement with the board of directors, the filing said.