Apple Daily editor-in-chief arrested at Hong Kong airport

Editor-in-chief Apple Daily, a newspaper accused by the Hong Kong authorities of violating the national security law, was arrested on Sunday at the airport of the former British colony.

At around 10 p.m. local time, police arrested Fung Wai Kong, 57, as he attempted to leave Hong Kong for the UK, sources confirmed to South China Morning Post.

The newspaper, owned by media mogul Jimmy Lai – currently in prison – and one of the most widely circulated newspapers in Hong Kong, made history after all of its operations were suspended and accounts frozen, in addition to the arrest of editor-in-chief Ryan Law and other executives.

The Police accused “the tabloid press” of “undermining national security”, taking as an example some thirty articles from Apple Daily, the majority of comments or opinion pieces, in which sanctions were requested against Hong Kong and China.

For its part, Hong Kong head of government Carrie Lam defended the arrest of several members of the Apple Daily newspaper and he stressed that the action of the police “has nothing to do with normal journalistic work”.

On the other hand, many international news companies have established their regional headquarters in Hong Kong, attracted by the pro-business regulations and free speech standards enshrined in the city’s constitution. But now, many local and international media are wondering if they will stay in the former British colony.

Hong Kong has fallen sharply in Reporters Without Borders’ annual press freedom rankings, dropping from 18th place in 2002 to 80th this year.. China remains in 177th place out of 180 countries, ahead of Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea.

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities praised the security law, saying it was successful in restoring stability after the 2019 protests, and warned that the media should not “subvert the government.”

Hong Kong arrested more than 10,000 in anti-government protests in 2019. The unrest led to a criticized national security law passed in June 2020 by the Chinese parliament. Among those arrested is Lai, who is serving a prison term for his participation in these protests and other crimes. The international community has condemned these arrests and the measures that have blocked one of Hong Kong’s most critical newspapers.

With information from Europa Press

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