Hong Kong police have raided the offices of pro-democracy newspaper 'Apple Daily,' arresting 5 senior editors and executives while freezing financial accounts in the latest crackdown under Beijing's sweeping national security law.
In comments likely to raise further alarm over media freedoms in the global financial hub, Security Secretary John Lee described the Apple Daily newsroom as a"crime scene." The operation was aimed at those who use reporting as a"tool to endanger" national security and not at the media industry as a whole, he told reporters.He added that police had also frozen $18 million Hong Kong dollars of assets owned by three companies linked to Apple Daily.
said Thursday that it firmly supported what it described as"just action" by the police to"maintain national security and the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong."said in a statement that the security law had been"weaponized" against press, while international human rights groups also condemned the police action.
"This raid and the arrests are a new low in what seems to be a bottomless assault on press freedom," Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch told NBC News."It has nothing to do with enforcing the law and everything to do with political retribution." Amnesty International also called the arrests"deeply disturbing" and warned they could have profound implications for other media outlets in Hong Kong.
"With this latest brazen attack on one of its fiercest media critics, the Hong Kong authorities are ramping up their crackdown on press freedom and using the pretext of 'national security' to justify it," said Amnesty's Asia-Pacific regional director, Yamini Mishra, in aApple Daily has often criticized the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for tightening control over the city and walking back on promises that it could retain its freedoms when it was handed over from...
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Several arrested as Hong Kong police raid Apple Daily newspaperHong Kong police raid offices of newspaper Apple Daily and arrest five executives under the city's national security law, including its chief editor Ryan Law, police and paper say.
Read more »
Hong Kong Police Arrest Newspaper Editor Under National Security LawNational security police arrested the top editor of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily in the most targeted action yet involving a media organization’s journalistic operations.
Read more »
Get a jab, win a condo: Hong Kong tries vaccine incentivesHONG KONG (AP) — Like many in Hong Kong, Jason Chan had no immediate plans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. For the finance professional, there seemed to be no pressing need, with travel restrictions still in place and no major outbreak at home.
Read more »
Hong Kong police declare Apple Daily newsroom a crime scene as editors and executives arrested under national security lawHong Kong police declared the Apple Daily newspaper office a crime scene Thursday, after 500 officers descended on the premises to arrest executives and top editors and seize journalistic materials under the city's national security law.
Read more »
Hong Kong police raid pro-democracy paper and arrest 5, magnifying concerns over erosion of press freedomThere has been a wave of arrests and prosecutions since the security law came into effect, but this is the first time police have used a warrant to seize journalistic materials.
Read more »