According to Hong Kong police, six people from an independent news organization in Hong Kong have been arrested. Those targeted were both present and former employees of Stand News. More than 200 police officers were dispatched to the publication’s headquarters, where searches are still being conducted.
Police said they had been granted permission to ‘examine and seize relevant journalistic materials’. According to local media sources, four other former board members were also arrested, including Hong Kong pop diva Denise Ho, attorney Margaret Ng, Christine Fang, and Chow Tat-chi. In a Facebook post, she confirmed she had been arrested on the same charge and taken to the Western District Police Station.
Apple Daily shut down in June after its assets were blocked under the national security law. Stand News is the second media company in Hong Kong targeted by the government. Hong Kong authorities have routinely condemned Stand News, with security chief Chris Tang criticizing it this month for publishing ‘biased, disparaging, and demonizing’ jail reports. The city has historically been a hub for regional media but has fallen down the press freedom rankings in recent years as Beijing exerts greater control over the city.
Sunny Cheung, a well-known campaigner seeking refuge in the United States, believes Beijing is stifling any form of dissent after the arrests. Nathan Law, an exiled campaigner, believes the arrests spotlight Beijing’s harassment of journalists and media.
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