5 Apple Daily execs arrested; shutdown ‘ can’t be ruled out’
Paper breaches law in name of freedom: experts
The latest arrest of the editor- in- chief of the Apple Daily, along with four other senior executives of Next Digital – the parent company of the newspaper – and the freezing of assets worth millions would have a lasting effect, legal experts said, after Hong Kong police searched again the newspaper’s office on Thursday, adding that the worst possible scenario for the paper, which has been in disguise as “fighter for freedom of speech,” could be a complete shutdown.
The department for safeguarding the national security of the Hong Kong Police Force ( HKPF) arrested the editor- in- chief and four directors on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and froze HK$ 18 million ($ 2.3 million) in assets during a Thursday morning raid.
This was the second time Apply Daily, founded and owned by Jimmy Lai Chee- ying, who bears multiple charges including conspiracy to collude with foreign countries or forces to endanger national security, has been raided since the national security law for Hong Kong came into force on June 30, 2020.
Senior Superintendent of Hong Kong Police Steve Li Kwai- wah told reporters after the arrests that strong evidence showed that dozens of questionable articles published by Apple Daily since 2019 played a very crucial part in the conspiracy which provided the ammunition for foreign countries and institutions or organizations to impose sanctions on China and the Hong Kong region.
When some Western media and observers continued portraying the latest police operation as a blow to freedom of speech and taking the newspaper as a “pro- democracy” publication, central and local government officials as well as legal experts emphasized that no one could disguise their purpose of inciting crimes or endangering national security, which has nothing to do with journalism.
The central government’s office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and the liaison office of the central government in Hong Kong voiced support for the police operation.
There will be a lasting effect on the operations of Apple Daily after their bank account was seized or frozen. The newspaper might not have enough money to continue their operations, said Lawrence Ma, barrister and chairman at Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation.
The second raid on Apple Daily shows authorities are determined to clean up the evil legacy of Lai. More editors or journalists from Apple Daily being arrested cannot be ruled out, said Fan Peng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Political Sciences.
While some legal experts said the operations of Apple Daily may face grave difficulties, the possibility of a complete shutdown can’t be ruled out, they said.