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Hong Kong’s Stand Information is not any extra. The professional-democracy media outlet introduced its dissolution on Wednesday after Nationwide Safety Police arrested seven present and former workers, raided its headquarters, seized its computer systems, and froze its property. The assault carefully mirrored the ways employed in opposition to Apple Day by day in June. These arrested had been charged with conspiring to publish seditious supplies, a violation of the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance. 5 of these arrested had been launched on bail however two, chief editor Chung Pui-kuen and appearing chief editor Patrick Lam, stay in custody. An eighth individual, former Stand Information director Joseph Lian Yi-zheng, is reportedly wished for arrest. At The New York Instances, Vivian Wang lined the sweeping assault on Stand Information and what it means for Hong Kong’s press freedoms:
The seven had been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to publish seditious materials, based on the police. A senior official, Steve Li, accused the publication at a information convention of publishing “inflammatory” content material meant to incite hatred towards the federal government and the judiciary, particularly by its protection of the town’s fierce pro-democracy protests in 2019.
[…] Across the identical time, greater than 200 officers entered the publication’s headquarters in Hong Kong and performed a search, the police stated. Footage and images reviewed by The New York Instances confirmed officers stringing orange tape throughout a hallway contained in the workplace constructing, and wheeling suitcases and packing containers containing computer systems and different supplies out of the newsroom. A photograph confirmed not less than two dozen giant blue plastic packing containers stacked within the constructing’s foyer.
[…] However the arrests had been carried out by the nationwide safety police, and the warrant for the newsroom raid was issued below the safety legislation, the police stated. And Mr. Li, the police official, stated that Stand Information’s articles had aimed to incite secession, subvert state energy or name on international governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong — all offenses below the safety legislation. [Source]
Stand Information editor Ronson Chan broke the information of the arrests by livestreaming a police raid on his personal condo:
In September, pro-Beijing lawmaker Regina Ip posited that the continued existence of Stand Information, a canary within the coal mine of kinds, was proof “freedom of expression [was] nonetheless alive and properly” within the metropolis. But by that point the paper had already ready for its demise: it pulled commentaries, requested its administrators to resign, suspended donations, and started paying workers at first of the month. Mere hours after the raids, Hong Kong Free Press reported that Stand Information deleted its total web presence:
The non-profit media outlet’s web site went darkish at 11 p.m. on Thursday and was changed with a message about its closure. “Given the circumstances, Stand Information is instantly halting its operations,” the message learn, including that the outlet thanks readers for his or her assist.
Stand Information’ Fb and Twitter pages had been additionally eliminated. Its YouTube account stays, however all content material has been taken down.
[…] The Stand Information UK workplace additionally shut down on Wednesday. [Source]
#BREAKING @StandNewsHK introduced on its FB the information outlet will droop operations instantly and all workers will probably be dismissed. pic.twitter.com/UyZJcMpdHV
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) December 29, 2021
However behind all this was a way of accountability to supply extra work that elevated the voices of pro-democracy activists and the motion.
“We felt it’s solely us left, after Apple Day by day,” stated one reporter. “Everybody who stays needs to remain until the top.”
— Shibani Mahtani (@ShibaniMahtani) December 29, 2021
And similar to Apple Day by day, @StandNewsHK‘s web site and Twitter account, which had 115k followers, has been deleted. The lack of articles and content material deprives HK and the world of entry to data as authorities makes use of NSL to dismantle Hong Kong’s press and Web freedom. pic.twitter.com/NBGtFTXA4E
— Angeli Datt (@__datt) December 29, 2021
Hong Kong authorities vociferously defended the arrests with out providing a transparent rationale for them. Hong Kong Chief Govt Carrie Lam stated the arrests have “nothing to do with journalistic or media work.” At The Wall Road Journal, Natasha Khan reported on the Nationwide Safety Division’s points with the web site:
Senior Superintendent of the Nationwide Safety Division Li Kwai-wah instructed reporters after the Stand Information arrests that the information web site continued to publish seditious content material from July 2020 to November 2021, after the nationwide safety legislation got here into impact. Mr. Li raised a number of examples, together with that the information web site described Hong Kong protesters as having disappeared and reported that police had been pointing weapons on the yellow helmets protesters had been carrying throughout clashes and saying “burn all of them.” Mr. Li stated such articles had been printed with the intent to impress hatred in opposition to the federal government and dissatisfaction among the many group. [Source]
Chief Secretary John Lee, when requested about arrests of @StandNewsHK ppl, stated individuals who “put on a false coat of media staff” and “abuse journalism as a device to hazard nationwide safety” are “evils components” “unhealthy apples” “black sheep” that “harm and pollute press freedom” pic.twitter.com/shiXchb9jI
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) December 29, 2021
On the South China Morning Publish, Chris Lau, Natalie Wong, and Brian Wong, reported on Hong Kong officers’ throaty protection of the arrests:
[Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said,] “Individuals from the manager and legislative branches are additionally topic to the legislation with no exceptions. Why can individuals from the so-called fourth property be above the legislation?”
Lam was repeatedly requested what constituted seditious content material however refused to specify and insisted journalists ought to themselves know what amounted to an offence.
Beijing’s native representatives additionally went on the offensive, with a spokesman for the Workplace of the Commissioner of the Ministry of International Affairs defending the arrests as “actions of justice to safeguard nationwide safety, the rule of legislation and public order”, whereas the central authorities’s liaison workplace accused the West of interfering within the metropolis’s affairs. [Source]
on the raid at present a Stand Information reporter instructed me that “if what Stand Information was doing is illegitimate, then every part we’re doing is illegitimate” whereas gesturing in any respect of us, appears that the gov’t agrees https://t.co/ce7GRdLpnV
— Arman Dzidzovic (@iamarman88) December 29, 2021
Beijing’s Liaison Workplace accused #StandNews of inciting violence throughout protests in 2019 and inciting secession after #NSL got here in power. “That the StandNews suspects are delivered to justice is just doomed destruction for the sinners, which has nothing to do with press freedom.” pic.twitter.com/QkjF5MjOw5
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) December 30, 2021
It was not instantly clear why the police have up to now elected to make use of the Crimes Ordinance, reasonably than the Nationwide Safety Legislation, in opposition to Stand Information and its associates, however Tom Kellog, the Govt Director of the Georgetown Middle for Asian Legislation, supplied a compelling rationale on Twitter:
From the govts perspective, sedition may be a greater match. The govt. solely wants to point out an intent to incite disaffection with the govt. to show sedition, whereas they’ve to point out an intent (eg) to incite the overthrow of the PRC govt below A22/23 of the NSL. (3/x)
— Tom Kellogg (@tom_kellogg) December 30, 2021
To be clear, sedition is a speech crime — the 7 Stand Information arrestees had been engaged in acts that must be protected by HKs Primary Legislation. Dialogue of “proving” a case in court docket shouldn’t be taken to elide this primary reality. (6/x)
— Tom Kellogg (@tom_kellogg) December 30, 2021
This diversification of the toolkit will probably be a key a part of the HKG nat sec technique in 2022: we’ll see the passage of BL A23 nat sec laws in early 2022, and (except I am mistaken) a fast transfer by the govt. to make use of new A23 crim legal guidelines in opposition to lower-priority targets. (8/x)
— Tom Kellogg (@tom_kellogg) December 30, 2021
Final however not least, the HKG may view CO sedition as much less simple for the intl group to criticize, on condition that it’s a British colonial-era legislation. Washington, London, Brussels, and different govts have to show the HKG incorrect on this entrance. (10/x)
— Tom Kellogg (@tom_kellogg) December 30, 2021
Cantopop star Denise Ho was among the many seven individuals arrested. Ho’s assistant instructed CNN that police spent over two hours within the singer’s dwelling, and seized her identification card, passport, telephones and computer systems. Ho and others stepped down from Stand Information earlier this yr in a futile try to guard Stand Information from Nationwide Safety Legislation expenses. At The Guardian, Rhoda Kwan wrote additional on Ho’s arrest and the gradual response from authorities in Canada, the place Ho has citizenship:
Ho’s arrest marks the primary time a pop star of world renown has been detained in Hong Kong for a political crime after Beijing imposed a nationwide safety legislation 18 months in the past in response to months of pro-democracy protests in 2019.
[…] “Denise Ho has been essentially the most vocal and widespread artist in Hong Kong who dares to oppose Beijing,” Sunny Cheung, one of many activists who had travelled with Ho to the US, instructed the Guardian.
[…] There was no fast response from Canadian authorities, however her detention might add to tensions between the 2 nations. It comes only a few months after the discharge of “the 2 Michaels”, Canadian residents held in China for over 1,000 days. Critics together with the Canadian authorities labelled their detention “hostage diplomacy”, in retaliation for the arrest of a Chinese language government on US fraud expenses. [Source]
After her launch on bail, Ho posted on Twitter:
Thanks pals for all of your type messages, I’ve been launched on bail and have returned dwelling safely.♥️🙏🏿
— Denise Ho (@hoccgoomusic) December 30, 2021
Canada’s Minister of International Affairs subsequently commented:
Freedom of media and expression stay cornerstones of democracy and important to the safety of human rights and elementary freedoms. We’ll proceed to talk out and denounce violations of those freedoms, in partnership with our worldwide allies.
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) December 29, 2021
The arrests additionally earned worldwide condemnation from entities just like the Committee to Defend Journalists, Reporters With out Borders, the United Nations Human Rights Workplace, Germany, and the US. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken known as for the discharge of the Stand Information editors and the safety of Hong Kong’s press freedoms. The Chinese language state and its media shops dismissed all criticism. At Reuters, David Stanway reported on the Chinese language embassy in Britain’s response to criticism of the arrests:
“The rights and pursuits of Hong Kong residents, together with freedom of speech and freedom of the press, are safeguarded in accordance with the legislation,” China’s embassy stated late on Thursday.
[…] However the official Communist Occasion newspaper, the Individuals’s Day by day, stated in an editorial on Friday that “freedom of the press” was getting used as an excuse to sow “anti-China chaos” in Hong Kong. It accused international politicians of “recklessly discrediting” Hong Kong police.
[…] “Freedom has a backside line, and violations of the legislation have to be punished.” [Source]
“In response to biased and misguided remarks or stories by governments, media and organisations of the US and western nations…” streamlining the method right here: pic.twitter.com/IPGDcXL4Yr
— Timothy McLaughlin (@TMclaughlin3) December 30, 2021
And but the EU gained’t do something substantive, they gained’t even assist Lithuania. However they need to undergo the motions issuing empty rhetoric and the occasional toothless sanction. And beijing is aware of this https://t.co/SM2O99iUVx
— Invoice Bishop (@niubi) December 29, 2021
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