Hong Kong news site shuts as pro-Beijing lawmakers sworn in
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong news site shuts as pro-Beijing lawmakers sworn in

Hindustan Times  

Hong Kong welcomed a new batch of pro-Beijing lawmakers in its Legislative Council on Monday who were chosen in an election without opposition candidates, as the editors of one of the city's last remaining pro-democracy news outlets announced its closure. The founders of news outlet Citizen News said Monday that although they have not been contacted by the Hong Kong national security police, the deteriorating media freedoms in the financial hub make it unclear whether their reporting violates the law. Citizen News is the third news outlet to close in recent months, following pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and online site Stand News. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam last week defended the raid on Stand News, telling reporters that “inciting other people.

Hong Kong Beijing Kong Hong Stand Outlet Stand News Citizen News Media Freedoms  national  lawmakers  shuts  outlet  following  site  sworn  prodemocracy  media  freedoms  probeijing  security  kong  hong  stand

History of this topic

Hong Kong court to sentence 2 former Stand News editors in landmark sedition case
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Hong Kong court to sentence 2 former Stand News editors in landmark sedition case

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

From Autonomy to Control: How China Dismantled Hong Kong’s Free Press
3 months, 1 week ago

From Autonomy to Control: How China Dismantled Hong Kong’s Free Press

News 18  

Former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen, and acting chief editor Patrick Lam of Hong Kong’s Stand News, have been found guilty of sedition, marking the first such conviction since the territory was handed over to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. This ruling represents the latest effort by the Chinese-backed government in Hong Kong to suppress journalists and media outlets, following …

More Hong Kongers tune out the news as they adapt to Beijing’s tightening grip
3 months, 3 weeks ago

More Hong Kongers tune out the news as they adapt to Beijing’s tightening grip

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hannah Wong cried when the Hong Kong government effectively forced Apple Daily and Stand News out of business three years ago. The city’s politics are one factor driving news avoidance, said Francis Lee, a journalism and communication professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Iris Ng, another former reader of Apple Daily and Stand News, said …

More Hong Kongers tune out the news as they adapt to Beijing's tightening grip
3 months, 3 weeks ago

More Hong Kongers tune out the news as they adapt to Beijing's tightening grip

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Foreign governments criticize Hong Kong's convictions of two journalists
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Foreign governments criticize Hong Kong's convictions of two journalists

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The convictions Thursday of two …

What’s at stake as 2 Hong Kong journalists await a verdict in their sedition trial?
3 months, 3 weeks ago

What’s at stake as 2 Hong Kong journalists await a verdict in their sedition trial?

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Two journalists who led a now-closed Hong Kong online news outlet will hear a verdict in their sedition case on Thursday, in a trial that’s seen as an indicator of press freedom in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. It’s Hong Kong’s first sedition case involving media since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Stand …

Hong Kong prepares for Stand News verdict in latest media freedom test
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Hong Kong prepares for Stand News verdict in latest media freedom test

Al Jazeera  

Two editors from now-closed independent publication are facing sedition charges over the outlet’s reporting. She said the news outlet’s work was in the public interest, and its duty as the “Fourth Estate” was to scrutinise the Hong Kong government with the hope it would improve governance. Shortly after the raid on Stand News, the independent news outlet Citizen News also …

Publisher Jimmy Lai will testify in his defense at Hong Kong national security trial, lawyer says
5 months ago

Publisher Jimmy Lai will testify in his defense at Hong Kong national security trial, lawyer says

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — A defense lawyer said Thursday that prominent publisher Jimmy Lai will testify in his defense in the landmark national security trial brought under a Beijing-imposed law that has all but wiped out public dissent. The prosecutors have alleged that Lai had engaged in requesting foreign countries, especially the United States, to take actions against Beijing “under the …

Hong Kong denies entry to Reporters Without Borders staffer in latest blow to media freedoms
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Hong Kong denies entry to Reporters Without Borders staffer in latest blow to media freedoms

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday that one of its representatives was denied entry into Hong Kong, calling it a “new decline” in the city’s press freedoms. “This action by the Hong Kong authorities, unprecedented for RSF, marks a new decline in the already poor press freedom climate in the territory,” RSF said in a statement. Rebecca Vincent, …

Hong Kong prepares tough new national security punishments
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Hong Kong prepares tough new national security punishments

Al Jazeera  

New bill includes lengthy prison terms for offences such as treason and longer sentences for acts deemed to be sedition. Hong Kong’s Legislative Council has begun debating the draft of a new national security law for the Chinese territory after Chief Executive John Lee said it should be passed at “full speed”. “The Hong Kong SAR can then focus its …

Hong Kong newspaper to stop publishing drawings by prominent cartoonist after government complaints
1 year, 7 months ago

Hong Kong newspaper to stop publishing drawings by prominent cartoonist after government complaints

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong newspaper announced Thursday it will stop publishing drawings by the city’s most prominent political cartoonist after they drew government complaints, in another example of restrictions on speech and media after a Beijing-led crackdown. Most recently, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau slammed his work for “smearing” the government’s role of appointing local committee members …

Making a point: Hong Kong journalists regroup abroad
1 year, 10 months ago

Making a point: Hong Kong journalists regroup abroad

Al Jazeera  

Journalists have found it increasingly difficult to report in Hong Kong since the imposition of the national security law in 2020 and the subsequent crackdown on media outlets. The Points’s staff is made up of former employees of Hong Kong media, including Apply Daily, who moved overseas amid the city’s crackdown on press freedom and other civil liberties. “We could …

Hong Kong publisher’s national security trial postponed
2 years ago

Hong Kong publisher’s national security trial postponed

LA Times  

The trial of a Hong Kong newspaper publisher who was arrested in a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement was postponed Thursday after the territory’s leader asked China to essentially block him from hiring a British defense lawyer. The Hong Kong government objected after judges Monday approved Lai’s plan to hire Timothy Owen, a veteran human rights lawyer. Chief Executive …

Hong Kong political activists plead guilty amid crackdown
2 years, 4 months ago

Hong Kong political activists plead guilty amid crackdown

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Authorities in Hong Kong say 29 out of 47 pro-democracy activists charged with “conspiracy to commit subversion” under a tough National Security Law have entered guilty pleas in court, as the Beijing government seeks to further silence opposition voices in the regional financial hub. The 47 democracy activists, aged 23 to 64, were charged with conspiracy to …

Hong Kong bars some journalists from handover anniversary
2 years, 5 months ago

Hong Kong bars some journalists from handover anniversary

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong authorities, citing security reasons, have barred more than 13 journalists from covering events this week marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, according to the Hong Kong Journalists Association and media reports. The journalists represent at least seven media outlets, including international news agencies Reuters and Agence France-Presse and several others from …

Hong Kong’s free press nearly completely dismantled by Beijing, report says
2 years, 7 months ago

Hong Kong’s free press nearly completely dismantled by Beijing, report says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The forced closure of pro-democracy media outlets, arrests and …

Muting the media
2 years, 10 months ago

Muting the media

The Hindu  

Sometime last month, a curious disclaimer began appearing at the bottom of every opinion page article published in Ming Pao, one of Hong Kong’s most iconic and widely read newspapers. In the past year, Hong Kong’s most outspoken media outlets have collapsed like dominoes in the wake of the passing of a new national security law that lists stiff penalties …

Hong Kong’s Lam: Media closures unrelated to press freedom
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong’s Lam: Media closures unrelated to press freedom

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday said the recent closure of two media outlets in the city does not indicate a decline in press freedom as the decisions were made by the outlets themselves. “But if they decided to cease operation out of their own concerns, I think this is nothing out of the ordinary.” She …

Hong Kong news site to shut; pro-Beijing lawmakers sworn in
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong news site to shut; pro-Beijing lawmakers sworn in

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — A group of lawmakers loyal to China’s Communist Party were sworn in to Hong Kong’s Legislature on Monday following an election without opposition candidates, as yet another pro-democracy news outlet announced it could no longer operate amid a growing crackdown on freedoms in the territory. “With Apple Daily’s sudden closure in the past summer, the journalism majors …

Hong Kong news outlet to close amid crackdown on dissent
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong news outlet to close amid crackdown on dissent

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong online news site said Sunday that it will cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet. Sadly, we can no longer strive to turn our beliefs into reality without fear because of the sea change in the society …

Another Hong Kong news outlet to close amid crackdown on dissent
2 years, 11 months ago

Another Hong Kong news outlet to close amid crackdown on dissent

The Hindu  

A Hong Kong online news site said Jaunary 2 that it would cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet. “We have never forgotten our original intentions, but it is a pity that the rapid changes in society in the past two years and …

Hong Kong’s Citizen News to close, amid fears for staff’s safety
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong’s Citizen News to close, amid fears for staff’s safety

Al Jazeera  

Independent online outlet to close on Tuesday, citing fears for its staff and an increasingly hostile media environment. Hong Kong independent online news outlet Citizen News is to close on Tuesday after five years, in the face of what it described as a deteriorating media environment in the Chinese-ruled territory and concerns about the safety of its staff. “Sadly, we …

Hong Kong pro-democracy news site closes after raid, arrests
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong pro-democracy news site closes after raid, arrests

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — A vocal pro-democracy website in Hong Kong shut down Wednesday after police raided its office and arrested seven current and former editors, board members and a journalist in a continuing crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Police did not identify who was arrested, but Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper reported they were one …

Hong Kong news outlet closes after police raids, arrests
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong news outlet closes after police raids, arrests

The Hindu  

Hong Kong lost its second independent news outlet this year after the Stand News was on Wednesday forced to shut down after its offices were raided and several current and former senior staff placed under arrest. While Wednesday’s arrests were made under a colonial-era sedition law, the recent moves targeting Hong Kong’s media have come in the wake of new …

Hong Kong’s Stand News outlet shuts down after police raid
2 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong’s Stand News outlet shuts down after police raid

Al Jazeera  

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Stand News online media outlet says it is ceasing operations following a police raid and arrests of current and former editors and board members. The statement came after hundreds of Hong Kong national security police raided the office of Stand News and arrested six people, including senior staff, for suspected “seditious publications” offences. “Shutting down Stand News, …

Amnesty International to close Hong Kong offices this year
3 years, 1 month ago

Amnesty International to close Hong Kong offices this year

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — The human rights group Amnesty International said it will close its two offices in Hong Kong this year, becoming the latest non-governmental organization to cease operations amid a crackdown on political dissent in the city. “This decision, made with a heavy heart, has been driven by Hong Kong’s national security law, which has made it effectively impossible …

Hong Kong pro-democracy group downsizes amid crackdown
3 years, 5 months ago

Hong Kong pro-democracy group downsizes amid crackdown

The Hindu  

One of Hong Kong’s most established pro-democracy civic organisations said on Saturday it is letting go its paid staff and halving the size of its steering committee amid Beijing’s crackdown on opposition activity in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China is best known for organising an annual rally and candlelight …

Final print edition of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper sells out
3 years, 6 months ago

Final print edition of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper sells out

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The final edition of Hong …

Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy paper sells out final edition
3 years, 6 months ago

Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy paper sells out final edition

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — The final edition of Hong Kong’s last remaining pro-democracy paper sold out in hours Thursday, as readers scooped up all 1 million copies of the Apple Daily, whose closure was yet another sign of China’s tightening grip on the semi-autonomous city. Apple Daily’s closure marks a “dark day for press freedom in Hong Kong,” said Thomas Kellogg, …

Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy paper publishes final edition
3 years, 6 months ago

Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy paper publishes final edition

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s sole remaining pro-democracy newspaper published its last edition Thursday 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 …

Hong Kong’s Last Remaining Pro-Democracy Newspaper Goes Dark
54 years, 11 months ago

Hong Kong’s Last Remaining Pro-Democracy Newspaper Goes Dark

Slate  

In what could mark the true end of the democratic era in Hong Kong, the city’s largest and last surviving pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, announced its closure Wednesday after its headquarters were raided by authorities, its top editors arrested, and its assets frozen. The 26-year old paper that made a name for itself doing what newspapers are intended to do: …

Hong Kong pro-democracy paper Apple Daily confirms closure
3 years, 6 months ago

Hong Kong pro-democracy paper Apple Daily confirms closure

The Hindu  

Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily announced Wednesday it will print its final edition after authorities froze its assets using a sweeping new national security law, silencing the city's most China critical media outlet. Journalists outside the paper's headquarters on Wednesday evening said they planned to print one million copies overnight -- a staggering number given Hong Kong's 7.5 million …

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper says it may shut down
3 years, 6 months ago

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper says it may shut down

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s embattled pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily reported Monday that its board of directors has asked authorities to unfreeze some assets so it can pay salaries and avoid labor violations, and that the board will meet again on Friday to decide if the newspaper will cease operations. Police last week arrested five top editors and executives of …

Why pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily is likely to shut down 'in a matter of days'
3 years, 6 months ago

Why pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily is likely to shut down 'in a matter of days'

Firstpost  

Politically, Apple Daily takes a pro-democracy and anti-China position and founder Jimmy Lai has repeatedly found himself on the receiving end of Chinese ire Apple Daily, the Hong Kong newspaper at the forefront of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, is on the verge of shutting down. The rationale for the ‘apple’ name, according to China’s United Daily News, was …

HK Police Arrest Apple Daily Executives, Seize Reporting Materials in National Security Law Raid
3 years, 6 months ago

HK Police Arrest Apple Daily Executives, Seize Reporting Materials in National Security Law Raid

News 18  

Hong Kong police arrested five executives of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper on Thursday, and for the first time under a new national security law had a warrant to seize journalistic materials, sending chills through the city’s media. “They’re arresting the top editorial folks.” It was the second time police have raided the Apple Daily headquarters; 200 officers went in …

Hong Kong police arrest newspaper editors for ‘foreign conspiracy'
3 years, 6 months ago

Hong Kong police arrest newspaper editors for ‘foreign conspiracy'

The Hindu  

Hong Kong police on Thursday arrested five senior figures at the Apple Daily, a tabloid newspaper that had taken a strong stand supporting pro-democracy protests, under a new national security law. Thursday’s search of the paper’s offices by more than 200 police officers was the second major move following last year’s new national security law targeting a newspaper that had …

Hong Kong eyes ‘fake news’ law, stoking media freedom concerns
3 years, 7 months ago

Hong Kong eyes ‘fake news’ law, stoking media freedom concerns

Al Jazeera  

Carrie Lam says her government ‘serious’ about tackling the spread of ‘misinformation, hatred and lies’. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the government was working on “fake news” legislation to tackle “misinformation, hatred and lies,” as worries grow over media freedoms in the Chinese-ruled territory. Under Beijing’s direction, Hong Kong has taken an authoritarian turn since the imposition …

Over 50 Hong Kong democracy activists arrested under national security law, says media reports
3 years, 11 months ago

Over 50 Hong Kong democracy activists arrested under national security law, says media reports

The Hindu  

Over 50 pro-democratic activists in Hong Kong were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of breaking the city's national security law, local media reported, in the biggest crackdown yet against the democratic opposition under the new law. The Democratic Party's Facebook page said police arrested the activists for participating in an independently organised ballot last year to select democratic candidates for …

Analysis: Beijing gives up on even the pretense of allowing opposition in Hong Kong
4 years, 1 month ago

Analysis: Beijing gives up on even the pretense of allowing opposition in Hong Kong

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — For more than two decades, Hong Kong has been the freest city in China, a status symbolized by two things: regular street protests, and elections to the city’s legislature. At a press conference Wednesday, she said that those who do not respect China’s sovereignty “cannot genuinely perform their duties as legislators.” “I welcome diverse opinion in …

Hong Kong police cordon off passenger for reading pro-democracy newspaper on metro
4 years, 2 months ago

Hong Kong police cordon off passenger for reading pro-democracy newspaper on metro

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Hong Kong residents line up to buy pro-democracy newspaper after its owner’s arrest
4 years, 4 months ago

Hong Kong residents line up to buy pro-democracy newspaper after its owner’s arrest

LA Times  

Copies of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper with a front page featuring owner Jimmy Lai, who was arrested under a new national security law Monday. Last year, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong to demand full democracy, many egged on by a tabloid newspaper critical of China’s ruling Communist Party. “I do not like …

Hong Kong Police Raid on Media Tycoon Filmed in Real Time as China Flexes Its Muscles
4 years, 4 months ago

Hong Kong Police Raid on Media Tycoon Filmed in Real Time as China Flexes Its Muscles

News 18  

Six weeks after China imposed sweeping national security laws on Hong Kong, police moved in on media tycoon Jimmy Lai, one of the most outspoken critics of Beijing in the city. Lai, 71, was whisked away from his home early on Monday morning by national security police, part of a citywide operation that also saw eight other men arrested, including …

New York Times moving some staff out of Hong Kong as security law brings media chill
4 years, 5 months ago

New York Times moving some staff out of Hong Kong as security law brings media chill

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN Business — The New York Times is moving some staff out of Hong Kong due to a new security law imposed by China on the city, as both foreign and local media face increased uncertainty in the Asian financial hub. “With the city facing a new era under tightened Chinese rule, Times editors determined they needed an …

China passes security law for Hong Kong giving Beijing sweeping powers: Report
4 years, 5 months ago

China passes security law for Hong Kong giving Beijing sweeping powers: Report

India Today  

China's parliament passed national security legislation for Hong Kong on Tuesday, setting the stage for the most radical changes to the former British colony's way of life since it returned to Chinese rule almost exactly 23 years ago. Beijing says the law, which comes in response to last year's often-violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, aims to tackle subversion, terrorism, …

Discover Related