Shutdown of Apple Daily ‘ legitimate, necessary’
▶ A radical anti- govt tool in spreading lies, seditious claims for political goals
While Apple Daily has been struggling to continue operations amid low funds after the arrests of its senior executives, and the police search of its offices and the freezing of its assets, lawyers and experts in Hong Kong consider the suspension of the paper’s operation and a complete shutdown as a legitimate and necessary move given its misdeeds on suspicion of violating the national security law amid rising calls for a clampdown on this “poisonous Apple.”
The paper, which has been in disguise as a “fighter for freedom of speech,” said it only had enough cash flow to continue normal operations for a few weeks, according to media reports on Sunday, and it plans to apply to unfreeze part of its assets on Monday to avoid violating labor laws for unpaid wages.
The department for safeguarding the national security of the Hong Kong Police Force ( HKPF) arrested the editor- inchief 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 operation, the second time that 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 searched since the national security law for Hong Kong came into force on June 30, 2020.
When officials from both the central government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( HKSAR) government denounced the paper’s true intention of challenging the national security law by using “freedom of speech” as “a shield,” claiming that “no right or freedom, including that of press, can cross the line of national security,” some legal experts in Hong Kong said it is time to shut down Apple Daily, as rather than being a media outlet, the paper has become a radical anti- government tool in spreading lies and hatred by running eye- catching, seditious claims with bias to achieve political goals, and it had not abandoned its attempts of colluding with foreign forces since the national security law for Hong Kong came into force.
“What Apple Daily has done is crystal clear: The paper takes the national security law as nothing by continuing violating the law and it has gone far beyond ethical and journalistic standards,” said Louis Chen, general secretary of Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation.
Some legal experts consider that it would be a legitimate move if authorities in Hong Kong shut it down in accordance with the local law.
According to the Societies Ordinance, the Societies Officer may recommend the Secretary for Security to make an order prohibiting the operation or continued operation of the society or the branch if he reasonably believes that the prohibition of the operation or continued operation of a society or a branch is necessary in the interests of national security or public safety or if it is a political body that has a connection with a foreign political organization or a political organization of Taiwan.