Hong Kong paper Apple Daily to close after Beijing crackdown
Hong Kong pro-democracy paper Apple Daily will shut down after 26 years following a fierce crackdown by Beijing.
The tabloid, which was known for its criticism of mainland China, will end its print and digital editions on Saturday 26 June.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said today that it marks a “chilling blow” to freedom of expression in the former British colony and urged Beijing to respect the UK-Sino Joint Declaration.
“It is crystal clear that the powers under the National Security Law are being used as a tool to curtail freedoms and punish dissent – rather than keep public order.
“The Chinese government undertook to protect press freedom and freedom of speech in Hong Kong under the UK-Sino Joint Declaration. It must keep its promises, and stand by the commitments it freely assumed.”
In a statement, the board of publisher Next Digital blamed the move on the “current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong”.
“The company thanks our readers for their loyal support and our journalists, staff and advertisers for their commitment over the past 26 years,” it added.
The announcement comes days after authorities froze HK$18m (£1.6m) of the paper’s assets and police raided its offices over claims its reports breached a national security law.
Police detained its chief editor and five other executives, while photos posted online showed officers searching reporters’ computers.
In May media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who founded Apple Daily in 1995, was sentenced to 14 months in prison on charges related to pro-democracy protests in the financial hub in 2019.
The closure marks a major blow to press freedom and is the latest escalation in an increasingly authoritarian crackdown by Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leadership.
The national security law, brought in by China last year, reduced Hong Kong’s independence and criminalised secession and subversion.
It has been used to crack down on any opposition to Beijing’s control over the former British colony and critics say it violates the terms of the handover agreement in 1997.