A former top journalist for the now-defunct Apple Daily was arrested at the airport while attempting to depart the city, authorities said late on Sunday.
As a result of arrests made under the city’s contentious national security ordinance, Apple Daily was forced to shut down, and its assets were frozen. Media mogul Jimmy Lai, the company’s owner, has already been incarcerated on unrelated charges.
Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Media Buckles Under China Pressure
The arrest was reported just hours after the prominent pro-democracy news outlet Stand News announced it was suspending commentary pieces out of fear of retaliation.
Stand News is one of the few remaining citywide magazines that advocates for democracy openly. During the pro-democracy demonstrations of 2019, it gained notoriety together with a small number of other relatively young online news outlets.
Under the terms of the deal that saw Britain return Hong Kong to China, the city’s citizens are assured of complete journalistic freedom.
Over twenty years ago, when China took over the former British territory, it made a promise to protect many of Hong Kong’s distinctive features. Beijing promised Hong Kong 50 years to maintain its capitalist economy and many liberties not seen in places on the mainland.
However, Beijing has become increasingly bold in its attempts to interfere with Hong Kong’s political system and repress opposition in recent years. A comprehensive national security law was enforced on Hong Kong in 2020 by Beijing.
Since then, authorities have restricted voting rights, stifled freedom of the press, and silenced critics of the government. These actions have not only been roundly criticised around the world, but they have also cast doubt on Hong Kong’s position as a global financial powerhouse and dampened optimism for the city’s eventual transition into a full-fledged democracy.
Once its top executives were detained and assets frozen under the city’s contentious national security statute, Apple Daily had no choice but to shut operations. The media magnate and owner, Jimmy Lai, was already serving time for many offences. The arrest was announced just hours after the popular Stand News, which is supported by those who advocate for democracy, announced it would no longer publish commentary pieces out of fear of retaliation.
Last Words
Stand News is one of the few remaining citywide magazines that advocates for democracy openly. It was one of a small group of recently established internet news outlets that rose to popularity during the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Under the terms of the deal that saw Britain return Hong Kong to China, the city’s citizens are assured of complete journalistic freedom.
The national security law, passed in June 2020 in reaction to years of rising pro-democracy rallies, is being openly disregarded, according to industry veterans. The law has been criticised since it “carries a possible term of life in jail and criminalises secession, subversion, and coordination with foreign forces.”
