CCP is invading the world – Episode 4
Previously, we talked about how Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and founder of Next Digital, Jimmy Lai, was persecuted. This time we will share how CCP destroys Hong Kong's press freedom in two years through the lens of Next Digital.
Next Digital's Apple Daily was founded in 1995, and its anti-establishment position was always clear.
Since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, some businesses have avoided advertising in Apple Daily to avoid irritating CCP.
The anti-establishment stance of Apple Daily was persistent and can be seen in its opposition to the implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law in 2003, its opposition to the national education curriculum in 2012, its support for the Umbrella Movement in 2014, and its opposition to using Mandarin as Chinese language instruction medium.
According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in 2019, Apple Daily's prolonged coverage of news detrimental to the Hong Kong regime and its encouragement to Hongkongers to fight for democracy has led the Hong Kong regime to identify Next Digital as an agent of foreign countries and decided to eliminate Next Digital in 2020.
In early 2020, Apple Daily demanded the Hong Kong regime close borders with China to prevent the ingress of COVID-19, supported the medical staff strikes, and continued to oppose the Hong Kong regime until the enactment of the National Security Law. As a result, it led to repeated criticism from Hong Kong and the CCP regime, as well as state-backed medias.
On August 10, 2020, Hong Kong National Security Department (NSD) arrested several Next Digital top officials, more than 200 police raided Next Digital Headquarters. Without presenting any search warrant, they seized a large number of items, including documents protected by confidentiality agreements and journalistic materials.
Afterwards, NSD held a press conference and claimed that Next Digital was suspected of violating National Security Law and was granted a search warrant by the court to carry out arrest and search operations according to the law.
However, according to sources, journalistic materials were not covered in the warrant.
On June 17, 2021, NSD arrested five more Next Digital directors, sent more than 500 police to search Next Digital Headquarters and froze its assets amounting to HK $18 million.
Apple Daily was forced to cease operation at the end of June after its last issue on June 24, 2021.
According to Initium Media, law enforcement only searched newspaper offices twice in Hong Kong's history. The first was during the 1967 riots, where the police searched the office of a leftist press. The second was in 2004 when the Independent Commission Against Corruption searched the offices of eight newspapers, including Oriental Daily and Apple Daily.
As Bloomberg pointed out, "Apple Daily was like the guard at the gate. Once you take the guard out, that's it". Non-establishment media fell one by one, followed Next Digital's steps.
After Next Digital, Stand News and Citizen News were also terminated at the end of 2021 and early January 2022 respectively, in which top officials of Stand News were arrested.
Smaller independent news outlets, such as DB Channel, CLS News, Hong Kong Independent Media News, Factwire etc., were not spared, obviously.
The remaining news outlets with relatively neutral stances, such as Ming Pao, can't publish commentary and even political comics without self-censorship due to the enormous pressure from the Hong Kong regime.
Moreover, journalist organizations such as Hong Kong Journalists Association and The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong, were forced to suspend press awards amid extreme pressure, clauses in relation to national security were also added to the tenancy agreement of their office. Foreign staffs resigned to show their stance on Hong Kong regime's restriction on press freedom.
Please share with your friends about the TRUE "Hong Kong Story".
#FreeJimmylai #Appledaily #Pressfreedom #Hellohongkong
Previously, we talked about how Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and founder of Next Digital, Jimmy Lai, was persecuted. This time we will share how CCP destroys Hong Kong's press freedom in two years through the lens of Next Digital.
Next Digital's Apple Daily was founded in 1995, and its anti-establishment position was always clear.
Since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, some businesses have avoided advertising in Apple Daily to avoid irritating CCP.
The anti-establishment stance of Apple Daily was persistent and can be seen in its opposition to the implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law in 2003, its opposition to the national education curriculum in 2012, its support for the Umbrella Movement in 2014, and its opposition to using Mandarin as Chinese language instruction medium.
According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in 2019, Apple Daily's prolonged coverage of news detrimental to the Hong Kong regime and its encouragement to Hongkongers to fight for democracy has led the Hong Kong regime to identify Next Digital as an agent of foreign countries and decided to eliminate Next Digital in 2020.
In early 2020, Apple Daily demanded the Hong Kong regime close borders with China to prevent the ingress of COVID-19, supported the medical staff strikes, and continued to oppose the Hong Kong regime until the enactment of the National Security Law. As a result, it led to repeated criticism from Hong Kong and the CCP regime, as well as state-backed medias.
On August 10, 2020, Hong Kong National Security Department (NSD) arrested several Next Digital top officials, more than 200 police raided Next Digital Headquarters. Without presenting any search warrant, they seized a large number of items, including documents protected by confidentiality agreements and journalistic materials.
Afterwards, NSD held a press conference and claimed that Next Digital was suspected of violating National Security Law and was granted a search warrant by the court to carry out arrest and search operations according to the law.
However, according to sources, journalistic materials were not covered in the warrant.
On June 17, 2021, NSD arrested five more Next Digital directors, sent more than 500 police to search Next Digital Headquarters and froze its assets amounting to HK $18 million.
Apple Daily was forced to cease operation at the end of June after its last issue on June 24, 2021.
According to Initium Media, law enforcement only searched newspaper offices twice in Hong Kong's history. The first was during the 1967 riots, where the police searched the office of a leftist press. The second was in 2004 when the Independent Commission Against Corruption searched the offices of eight newspapers, including Oriental Daily and Apple Daily.
As Bloomberg pointed out, "Apple Daily was like the guard at the gate. Once you take the guard out, that's it". Non-establishment media fell one by one, followed Next Digital's steps.
After Next Digital, Stand News and Citizen News were also terminated at the end of 2021 and early January 2022 respectively, in which top officials of Stand News were arrested.
Smaller independent news outlets, such as DB Channel, CLS News, Hong Kong Independent Media News, Factwire etc., were not spared, obviously.
The remaining news outlets with relatively neutral stances, such as Ming Pao, can't publish commentary and even political comics without self-censorship due to the enormous pressure from the Hong Kong regime.
Moreover, journalist organizations such as Hong Kong Journalists Association and The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong, were forced to suspend press awards amid extreme pressure, clauses in relation to national security were also added to the tenancy agreement of their office. Foreign staffs resigned to show their stance on Hong Kong regime's restriction on press freedom.
Please share with your friends about the TRUE "Hong Kong Story".
#FreeJimmylai #Appledaily #Pressfreedom #Hellohongkong