The pro-democracy journalism organization in Hong Kong, Stand News, was shut down today after police raided its offices, "froze" its assets and arrested senior staff members on charges of "seditious publications" in yet another case of media repression in the metropolis.
Stand News, set up in 2014 as a non-profit, is Hong Kong's best-known pro-democracy media outlet following a national security investigation this year that led to the closure of jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai's Apple Daily tabloid.
The raid raises more concerns about press freedom in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 on the promise that a number of individual rights would be protected, according to media protection organizations.
"Stand News is now ceasing operations," the media outlet said in a Facebook post, adding that all employees had been fired.
The head of the national security department at the police, Steve Lee, told reporters that Stand News had published news and commentary that incited hatred against the authorities.
Lee said police had seized assets worth HK$61 million (US$7.82 million) as well as computers, phones and journalistic material and did not rule out further arrests.
"We are not targeting journalists. We are targeting national security offences," Lee said.
Police said 200 officers searched the Stand News office and arrested three men and four women, aged 34-73, on suspicion of "conspiracy to publish seditious documents."
Earlier today, dozens of police officers were seen loading into a truck about 30 boxes of documents and other seized material.
Stephen Butler, Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the arrests were an "open attack on Hong Kong's already tattered press freedom."
Incitement to sedition is not among the offences listed in the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020 that punishes terrorism, conspiracy with foreign powers, subversion and secession with possible life imprisonment.
However recent court rulings have allowed authorities to use powers given by the new law to invoke rarely used colonial-era laws on secession.
Authorities say the security law has restored order after pro-democracy, often violent, protests in 2019. Critics say the legislation is leading the financial center down a path of authoritarianism by stifling dissent.
Source: First Theme
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