Two officials of the pro-democracy daily
Apple Daily
, very critical of Beijing, appeared on Saturday before a Hong Kong court which refused their release on bail, the day after their indictment under a law on national security.
To read also: Hong Kong
: Apple Daily
, a tabloid with the fate of dissident
Editor-in-chief Ryan Law and managing director Cheung Kim-hung are being sued for "
colluding with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security
" over a series of articles. Judge Victor So ruled that there were insufficient grounds "
for the court to believe that the defendants will not continue to commit acts endangering national security
".
It is the first time that political opinions published by a Hong Kong news outlet have led to prosecution under the controversial law imposed by China in 2020 in an attempt to quell dissent in the former British colony. .
The newspaper and its owner Jimmy Lai, currently in prison, have long spurred Beijing by steadfastly supporting the pro-democracy movement and sharply criticizing the Chinese leadership.
Vast repression of dissent
More than 500 police officers raided the premises of the daily on Thursday and took away computers, hard drives and journalists' notebooks. Five officials were arrested. Two were charged while the other three were released on bail pending further investigation. Several dozen people, including former and current employees of the newspaper, lined up in court this Saturday morning to try to attend the hearing and support the two officials.
Many international media have set up their Asian headquarters in Hong Kong, attracted by pro-business regulations and constitutionally enshrined free speech provisions.
But many are now questioning whether this presence will continue and are making contingency plans as Beijing tightens its grip on Hong Kong with a broad crackdown on dissent.
Read also: In Hong Kong, press freedom falters
The local media are living even darker hours. Journalists' associations say reporters must increasingly self-censor. Hong Kong is gradually slipping down the annual ranking of the NGO Reporters Without Borders on press freedom, from 18th place in 2002 to 80th this year. Mainland China is 177th out of 180 countries ranked.
The newspaper's survival is uncertain. Jimmy Lai, his 73-year-old wealthy landlord, was sentenced to multiple prison terms for his involvement in pro-democracy protests in 2019. He was also charged under the National Security Act and his assets in Hong Kong were frozen. Authorities did the same on Thursday with $ 2.3 million in
Apple Daily
assets
. Police say prosecution - still under this legislation - is also planned against three companies owned by the newspaper, which could be fined or banned.