Apple Daily closure a devastating blow
The forced closure of independent newspaper Apple Daily has devastating consequences for the people of Hong Kong.
MEAA Media federal president Marcus Strom said: “This ruthless assault on press freedom is denying the people of Hong Kong with a source of genuine news and information. The raid on the Apple Daily offices, arrest of senior executives including the newspaper’s founder Jimmy Lai, the use of financial weapons to freeze the assets of the business and to starve workers of their wages, shows that Hong Kong’s administration and Beijing will stop at nothing to overwhelm and silence independent media and deny a voice for the people of Hong Kong.
“Our thoughts go out to our many colleagues who tried valiantly to keep Apple Daily operational but who have now lost their jobs. We also express thanks to the newspaper’s many readers who welcomed its fresh, independent public interest journalism and courageous scrutiny of important issues in Hong Kong,” Strom said.
“But it is abundantly clear, that the National Security Law imposed on the people of Hong Kong will be used against its citizens to stifle scrutiny. As such, journalists working in Hong Kong are clearly at enormous risk and vulnerable to the enormous powers of the Security Law being used against them.
“MEAA condemns this cruel assault on press freedom. It is a backward step that further undermines the public’s right to know, and it signals an intent that has grave implications for the media and the people of Hong Kong,” Strom said.
Apple Daily closure a devastating blow: MEAA
Last update: June 25, 2021
