Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Hard News Hard Hitting News Source Global Political News

Business News

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily Newspaper Says It May Shut Down

FILE – In this Thursday, June 17, 2021, file photo, a police officer stands guard outside the Apple Daily headquarters in Hong Kong after arresting the chief editor and four other senior executives of the newspaper under the national security law on suspicion of collusion with a foreign country to endanger national security. 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 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 Apple Daily under the city’s tough national security law on suspicion of foreign collusion, searched its offices and froze $2.3 million worth of assets of three companies linked to the newspaper.

The arrests and freezing of assets came as Hong Kong authorities crack down on dissenting voices as Beijing tightens control over the territory in what critics say is an erosion of freedoms it promised the city for 50 years when the former British colony was handed over to China in 1997.

Apple Daily has been outspoken in defending Hong Kong’s freedoms, and in recent years has often criticized the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for limiting the city’s democratic freedoms as well as constricting the rights of free speech and assembly not found on mainland China.

Apple Daily said in an article on its website on Monday that if its board decides on Friday to cease operations of the newspaper, its website could stop publishing as soon as early Saturday morning, and Saturday’s print edition of the newspaper would be its last.

An internal department memo sent to some employees at Apple Daily also stated that those who wish to resign immediately could do so.

Apple Daily said in an article on Sunday that it may challenge the decision to freeze its assets in court if the city’s Security Bureau denies its request.

The Security Bureau said it would not comment on the details of the case because legal proceedings were ongoing. It said endangering national security is a “very serious crime.”

“We handle such crimes according to the law, targeting at illegal acts, and invoke the power to freeze offense-related properties based on need and the law,” the bureau said in an English-language statement. “Secretary for Security will handle in accordance with the law any application related to the frozen property.”

Last week, police identified over 30 articles published by Apple Daily that they said played a “crucial” role in a conspiracy with foreign countries to impose sanctions against China and Hong Kong for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The newspaper’s founder, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, was convicted earlier this year for his involvement in unauthorized assemblies and is currently in jail. Two of the five people arrested last week have also been charged with collusion with foreign countries.

The police operation against Apple Daily has drawn criticism from the U.S. and Britain, which say Hong Kong and Chinese authorities are targeting the city’s promised freedoms.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials have insisted that the media must abide by the law, and that press freedom cannot be used as a “shield” for illegal activities.

Copyright 2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-newspapers-business-62c9e8f3af2b1a5f68f62d6e92a7aa03

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Business News

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress await those coming to an office suite in Eugene to trip on...

Business News

The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway....

Accidents

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Ambulance and fire truck sirens wailed outside as Elsie Rosales stripped linens from king-sized mattresses at a beachfront resort in...

Accidents

TAFEGHAGHTE, Morocco (AP) — Survivors with shovels worked alongside bulldozers Monday to dig through remote Moroccan villages flattened by a monstrous earthquake, as hope dwindled...

Copyright © 2023 Hard News Herd Hitting in Your Face News Source | World News | Breaking News | US News | Political News Website by Top Search SEO