STATEMENT ON:
Hong Kong Police Raid and Arrests Targeting Pro-democracy Newspaper Apple Daily
Hong Kong Police Raid and Arrests Targeting Pro-democracy Newspaper Apple Daily
June 17, 2021
From Ellen Bork, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong:
“Today’s raid by hundreds of police officers on the offices of Apple Daily newspaper and the arrests of the leadership of the media outlet under the National Security Law shows China’s real motivation is not to achieve ‘national security,’ but to crush every exercise of freedom and autonomy it once promised to respect.
“Furthermore, the threat of penalties to ordinary readers for sharing articles shows the wider intention of the authorities to deny Hong Kongers basic freedoms of speech and expression.
“The use of ‘foreign collusion’ charges to decapitate the leadership of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy media outlet is a devastating blow to the freedom of the press and to five outstanding and committed journalists and media professionals.
“It will be a disgrace if the world’s leading democracies continue to act as if nothing has happened. Instead, they must impose consequences on the Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for these actions. At the same time, there can be no doubt in the foreign business community that the loss of press freedom and the seizure of company assets are calamitous for Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center.”
The founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, is already imprisoned for engaging in peaceful protests in 2019 and faces multiple charges under the National Security Law imposed in June 2020. Today’s raid on the newspaper also saw the freezing of millions of dollars worth of company assets related to Apple Daily.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong calls on the world’s democracies - including the US, the UK, Europe, and Japan - to relocate the 2022 Winter Olympic Games away from Beijing and to impose Magnitsky-style sanctions on all those Chinese and Hong Kong officials who directed and participated in today’s outrageous raid on Apple Daily.
From Ellen Bork, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong:
“Today’s raid by hundreds of police officers on the offices of Apple Daily newspaper and the arrests of the leadership of the media outlet under the National Security Law shows China’s real motivation is not to achieve ‘national security,’ but to crush every exercise of freedom and autonomy it once promised to respect.
“Furthermore, the threat of penalties to ordinary readers for sharing articles shows the wider intention of the authorities to deny Hong Kongers basic freedoms of speech and expression.
“The use of ‘foreign collusion’ charges to decapitate the leadership of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy media outlet is a devastating blow to the freedom of the press and to five outstanding and committed journalists and media professionals.
“It will be a disgrace if the world’s leading democracies continue to act as if nothing has happened. Instead, they must impose consequences on the Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for these actions. At the same time, there can be no doubt in the foreign business community that the loss of press freedom and the seizure of company assets are calamitous for Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center.”
The founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, is already imprisoned for engaging in peaceful protests in 2019 and faces multiple charges under the National Security Law imposed in June 2020. Today’s raid on the newspaper also saw the freezing of millions of dollars worth of company assets related to Apple Daily.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong calls on the world’s democracies - including the US, the UK, Europe, and Japan - to relocate the 2022 Winter Olympic Games away from Beijing and to impose Magnitsky-style sanctions on all those Chinese and Hong Kong officials who directed and participated in today’s outrageous raid on Apple Daily.
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The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) presses for political and economic consequences for China’s failure to keep its promises regarding Hong Kong’s freedoms; supports the rule of law, freedom of expression, and the release of political prisoners – and urges the business community to stand against China’s assault on freedom, which also imperils Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center. Hong Kong’s fate is linked to the preservation of freedom, democracy, and international law in the region and around the world.
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For more information, please contact:
Ellen Bork
P: +1 (301) 718-4813
E: media@thecfhk.org
www.thecfhk.org
@thecfhk
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) presses for political and economic consequences for China’s failure to keep its promises regarding Hong Kong’s freedoms; supports the rule of law, freedom of expression, and the release of political prisoners – and urges the business community to stand against China’s assault on freedom, which also imperils Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center. Hong Kong’s fate is linked to the preservation of freedom, democracy, and international law in the region and around the world.
---
For more information, please contact:
Ellen Bork
P: +1 (301) 718-4813
E: media@thecfhk.org
www.thecfhk.org
@thecfhk
