News outlet shuts down after police raid, arrests
HONG KONG: Hong Kong prodemocracy media outlet Stand News shut down on Wednesday after police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested senior staff on suspected “seditious publication” offences, in the latest crackdown on the city’s media.
Stand News, set up in 2014 as a non-profit, was the most prominent remaining pro-democracy publication in Hong Kong after a national security investigation this year 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 with the promise that a wide range of individual rights would be protected, media advocacy groups said.
“Stand News is now stopping operations,” the publication said on Facebook, adding all employees had been dismissed.
Steve Li, head of the police’s national security department, told reporters Stand News had published news and commentary inciting hatred against authorities.
He said some of the articles said protesters went missing during the city’s 2019 pro-democracy unrest or were sexually harassed, which he called “factually baseless” and “malicious”. Li also said some articles falsely claimed the Communist Party extended its powers through the city’s independent courts or called for foreign sanctions.
Li said police seized assets worth HK$61 million ($7.82 million) as well as computers, phones and journalistic materials, and that he did not rule out further arrests.
“We are not targeting reporters. We are targeting national security offences,” Li said.
Police said 200 officers searched the Stand News office and three men and four women, aged 34-73, were arrested on suspicion of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”.
Police did not identify them but media said four former members of the Stand News board were arrested - former democratic legislator Margaret Ng, pop singer Denise Ho, Chow Tat-chi and Christine Fang - as well as former chief editor Chung Pui-kuen and acting chief editor Patrick Lam.