Wednesday, June 23rd

Apple Daily to close, last pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper

By ZEN SOO and MATTHEW CHENG Associated Press

FILE - In this Friday, June 18, 2021, file photo, a worker packs copies of the Apple Daily newspaper at the printing house in Hong Kong. Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily said in a news report Monday, June 21, 2021 that its board of directors has requested authorities to unfreeze some assets so that it could pay wages. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong's sole remaining pro-democracy newspaper will publish its last edition Thursday, forced to shut down after five editors and executives were arrested and millions of dollars in its assets were frozen as part of China's increasing crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous city.

The board of directors of Apple Daily parent company Next Media said in a statement Wednesday that the print and online editions will cease due to "the current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong."

The silencing of a prominent pro-democracy voice is the latest sign of China's determination to exert greater control over the city long known for its freedoms after huge antigovernment protests there in 2019 shook the government. Since then, Beijing has imposed a strict national security law - used in the arrests of the newspaper employees - and revamped Hong Kong's election laws to keep opposition voices out of the legislature.

Police officers stand guard as Tong Ying-kit is arriving at a court in Hong Kong Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Tong, accused of inciting secession, is the first person to stand trial under the national security law in Hong Kong since it was implemented nearly a year ago, as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous city. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Apple Daily was founded by tycoon Jimmy Lai in 1995 - just two years before Britain handed Hong Kong back to China - and initially was a tabloid known for its celebrity gossip. But Lai had also always portrayed the paper as an advocate of Western values and said it should "shine a light on snakes, insects, mice and ants in the dark," according to the paper.

It grew into an outspoken voice for defending Hong Kong's freedoms not found on mainland China, and in recent years has often criticized the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for limiting those freedoms and reneging on a promise to protect them for 50 years after the city's handover to China. While pro-democracy media outlets still exist online, it is the only print newspaper left of its kind in the city.

In a post on Instagram, the paper thanked its readers.

"Even if the ending is not what we want, even if it's difficult to let go, we need to continue living and keep the determination we have shared with Hong Kong people that has remained unchanged over 26 years," Apple Daily wrote.

The paper's announcement coincided with the start of the city's first trial under the year-old national security law that is being closely watched as a barometer of how strictly the courts will interpret the legislation.

FILE - In this Thursday, June 17, 2021, file photo, police officers escort Cheung Kim-hung, center, CEO and Executive Director of Next Digital Ltd at Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend after police arrested five editors and executives and froze $2.3 million in assets linked to the paper. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

The widely expected move to close Apple Daily followed last week's arrests and crucially the freezing of $2.3 million of the paper's assets. Its board of directors wrote a few days ago to ask Hong Kong's security bureau to release some of its funds so the company could pay wages - but it's not clear if it got a response. The paper also said it made the decision to close out of concern for its employees' safety.

The editors and executives were detained on suspicion of colluding with foreigners to endanger national security. Police cited more than 30 articles published by the paper as evidence of an alleged conspiracy to encourage foreign nations to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China. It was the first time the national security law had been used against journalists for something they had published.

On Wednesday, police also arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of foreign collusion to endanger national security, according to Apple Daily, which cited unidentified sources. The paper said the man writes editorials for it under the pseudonym Li Ping.

Apple Daily has in recent years come under increasing scrutiny over its pro-democracy stance. Lai, its founder, is facing charges under the national security law for foreign collusion and is currently serving a prison sentence for his involvement in the 2019 protests.

Supporters wave flashlights outside the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will stop publishing Thursday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's one-year-old national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The move against Apple Daily drew criticism from the U.S., the EU and Britain.

"The forced closure of (Apple Daily) by Hong Kong authorities is a chilling demonstration of their campaign to silence all opposition voices," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a Twitter post. "It is clearer than ever that the (national security law) is being used to curtail freedom and punish dissent."

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr said the closure represents another "hard blow against press freedom in Hong Kong. And it shows once again how the so-called National Security Law is applied selectively against critical voices."

The law, imposed last year, criminalizes subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have said the media must abide by the law, and that press freedom cannot be used as a "shield" for illegal activities.

The first person to stand trial under the law, Tong Ying-kit, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of terrorism and inciting secession by driving a motorcycle into police officers during a 2019 rally while carrying a flag with the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times." Several officers were knocked over and three were injured.

FILE - In this July 6, 2020, file photo, Tong Ying-kit arrives at a court in a police van in Hong Kong. Tong, accused of driving a motorcycle into police officers while carrying a Hong Kong protest flag became on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 the first person to stand trial under the national security law implemented last year as China's central government tightened control over the city. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

That slogan was often chanted during the 2019 demonstrations, which began as protests against a bill allowing Hong Kong residents to be extradited to China for trial but burgeoned into broader calls for greater democratic freedoms. China was shaken by the breadth of the protests and responded with tough measures including the national security law, which makes calls for Hong Kong's independence illegal.

Tong's trial will set the tone for how Hong Kong handles national security offenses. So far, more than 100 people have been arrested under the law, with many others fleeing abroad. The result is that it has virtually silenced opposition voices in the city.

A court ruled last month that Tong will stand trial without a jury, a departure from Hong Kong's common law traditions. Under the national security law, a panel of three judges can replace jurors, and the city's leader has the power to designate judges to hear such cases.

The law carries a maximum penalty of life in prison for serious offenses. Tong is on trial at the High Court, where sentences are not capped.

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Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin and news assistant Janice Lo contributed to this report.

FILE - In this Friday, June 18, 2021, file photo, people buy the Apple Daily news paper at a stand in downtown Hong Kong. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, June 23, 2021, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

A prison van, left, which a police officer says is carrying Tong Ying-kit arrives at a court in Hong Kong Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Tong, accused of inciting secession, is the first person to stand trial under the national security law in Hong Kong since it was implemented nearly a year ago, as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous city. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

FILE - In this June 17, 2021, file photo, a cordon line is set up outside Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong. Police on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of foreign collusion to endanger national security. According to Apple Daily, which cited unnamed sources, the man writes editorials for the paper under the pseudonym Li Ping. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - In this Friday, June 18, 2021, file photo, a vendor adjusts copies of Apple Daily newspapers at a newsstand in downtown Hong Kong. Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily said in a news report Monday, June 21, 2021 that its board of directors has requested authorities to unfreeze some assets so that it could pay wages. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

FILE - In this Friday, June 18, 2021, file photo, copies of the Apple Daily newspaper are packed at the printing house in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, June 23, 2021, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A flower is left by a supporter outside the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A staff member shows a sign of thanks for their supporters at the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will stop publishing Thursday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's one-year-old national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Chinese characters reading "I love Apple Daily, thanks for supporting" hang in a window at the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will stop publishing Thursday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's year-old national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Media waits outside the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Media wait outside the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

FILE - In this Friday, June 18, 2021, file, a worker packs copies of the Apple Daily newspaper at the printing house in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, June 23, 2021, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Supporters walk outside the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

FILE - In this Monday, April 26, 2021, file photo, the logo of Apple Daily is displayed in the elevator lobby outside the news room of Apple Daily in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will close by this weekend, its parent company said Wednesday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's national security law. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Staff members wave flashlights to their supporters at the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper will stop publishing Thursday, following last week's arrest of five editors and executives and the freezing of $2.3 million in assets under the city's one-year-old national security law. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)