HONG KONG—Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily is set to print one million copies of its last edition on Thursday, after a year in which it was raided by police, and its tycoon owner and other staff were arrested under a national security law.
Amnesty International’s Asia-pacific Regional Director Yamini Mishra
“The forced closure of Apple Daily is the blackest day for media freedom in Hong Kong’s recent history. The paper has been effectively banned by the government for publishing articles that criticized it, and for reporting on international discussions about Hong Kong. This is an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression.“The arrests of Apple Daily staff, seizing of journalistic materials, and freezing of its assets will send a shiver down the spine of all media outlets operating in Hong Kong. It is also deeply alarming for the readers whose media consumption is now effectively being curbed by the authorities—just as it is for people in mainland China.
“The fact that the authorities are using the national security law to enable this crackdown highlights the deeply repressive nature of the legislation.”
Ronson Chan, Head of Hong Kong Journalists’ Association
“We urge the government to fulfil the promise of safeguarding press freedom ... to let people working in the news industry serve Hong Kong without fear.British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab
“The forced closure of Apple Daily by the Hong Kong authorities is a chilling blow to freedom of expression in Hong Kong.“It is crystal clear that the powers under the national security law are being used as a tool to curtail freedoms and punish dissent—rather than keep public order.”
Barbara Trionfi, Executive Director, International Press Institute
“The harassment of Apple Daily is yet another effort by authorities in Beijing to silence a critical news outlet.“This violates the right of Hong Kong’s people to access independent news and is a further step toward the eradication of press freedom in the Special Administrative Region.
“One year after its enactment, China’s national security law for Hong Kong has been revealed to be exactly what critics feared: a ready-made instrument to suppress independent news coverage.