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Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Newspaper Apple Daily to Cease Operations This Week

VOA News

   The parent company of Hong Kong pro-democracyApple Dailynewspaper
   announced Wednesday that it will shut down the publication this week.

   Next Digital,ownsApple Dailyand is one ofthe largest media company in
   Hong Kong,released a statement saying the final print and online
   editions ofApple Dailywill be published no later than Saturday, June
   26, citing"the current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong."Local
   news outlets say theApple Daily's final print edition will come out as
   soon as Thursday.

   Apple Dailyand its 73-year-old publisher, Next Digital founder and
   owner Jimmy Lai, have been the target of Hong Kong authorities since
   China imposed a strict national security law last June in response to
   the massive and sometimes violent anti-government protests in 2019.

   The newspaper's offices were raided last August after Lai was arrested
   at his house on suspicion of foreign collusion.

   The decision to shut downApple Dailycomes nearly a week after more than
   500 police officers raided the newspaper's offices and arrested its
   chief editor, Ryan Law, and four other executives with the newspaper
   and Next Digital. Authorities then froze $2.3 million of its assets,
   leaving the company unable to pay its staffers.

   Law and Chief Executive Officer Cheung Kim-hung have been charged with
   colluding with a foreign country and have been denied bail.

   Hong Kong authorities have cited dozens of articles published byApple
   Dailyit says violated the security law, which targets anyone
   authorities suspected of carrying out terrorism, separatism, subversion
   of state power or collusion with foreign forces.

   Reports out of Hong Kong say anotherApple Dailystaffer was arrested
   Wednesday. The staffer has been identified as the newspaper's lead
   editorial writer and columnist.

   Hong Kong police issued a report saying a 55-year-old man had been
   arrestedon suspicion of conspiring tocolludewith a foreign country or
   foreign forces.

   Lai is currently serving a 14-month prison sentence for taking part in
   separate unauthorized assemblies in 2019. His assets in Next Digital
   were frozen by the government last month.

   The announcementWednesdayofApple Daily'sclosurecame asTong Ying-kit,a
   24-year-old Hong Kong man,became the first defendant to be tried under
   the city's national security law.
   Tongis charged with terrorism and inciting secession for displaying a
   flag on his motorbike that read "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our
   times," a slogan popularized during the massive 2019 anti-government
   protests that prompted the new law. He faces life in prison if he is
   convicted.

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