Raid on Apple Daily newspaper and arrests of journalists is an act of "brazen and shameful thuggery"

Today, the Hong Kong Police raided the offices of Apple Daily newspaper for the second time in 10 months and arrested five employees for ‘collusion with foreign forces’ under the National Security Law.

Those arrested include Next Digital CEO Cheung Kim-hung and Chief Operating Officer Chow Tat Kuen, Apple Daily’s Editor-in-Chief Ryan Law, Associate Publisher Chan Pui-man and Cheung Chi-wai, who manages the newspaper’s online news platform. All were arrested in the early hours at their homes.

According to the National Security Unit Senior Superintendent Steve Li, the operation was launched at 6 a.m. HKT and involved around 500 officers. He said HK$18 million worth of assets belonging to three companies linked to Apple Daily have also been frozen.

Jimmy Lai, the owner of Apple Daily newspaper, is currently awaiting trial under the National Security Law after being arrested in August 2020. Apple Daily remains the only pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Watch patron, Lord Alton of Liverpool, said:

"This is brazen and shameful thuggery - the actions of cowards who fear the printed word and the glare of media scrutiny."

Commenting on the arrests, Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive, said:

“As a former journalist I am appalled at today’s attack on the free press in Hong Kong. The targeting and arrest of journalists and newspaper employees under the National Security Law for the supposed ‘crime’ of reporting facts that are unflattering to the regime is a reflection of Hong Kong’s fast dissent into authoritarian rule.

This is the second time in less than a year that the Hong Kong Police have invaded the newspaper on spurious grounds of colluding with foreign forces. It flies in the face of previous promises that this law would be used sparingly and would not undermine the city’s long established independent press.

The international community must condemn this assault on the free press in Hong Kong, urge the Hong Kong authorities to release all those arrested under this draconian law, and be ready to take punitive steps to punish officials responsible for targeting journalists, including using Magnitsky sanctions.”