The death of Apple Daily has cast a shadow over the free press in Hong Kong

Hong Kong residents were mourned and the city’s kiosks were filled with funeral parlors this week as residents gathered across the city to purchase the latest edition of the Apple Daily.

The pro-democracy newspaper has been angry with city officials for decades. The company was forced close after the officials froze his property the main journalists were arrested under a stringent national security law, Beijing established the territory in 2019 after protests for democracy.

Neighbors flocked to buy a copy of the latest edition – Apple Daily printed more than 150 million regular copies over 1m – in a quiet act of resistance. “People in Hong Kong feel very sad, and this is the only help I can give,” said Deborah, a 50-year-old teacher who lined up in the rain to buy a copy on Thursday morning.

The Apple Daily was a powerful symbol of the latent dissent beneath the surface of the city. Analysts say the closure of the Chinese newspaper and website shows how the authorities are using national security law to stifle Hong Kong’s free media.

The newspaper questioned the authority

It was created by Apple Daily Jimmy Lai, A 73-year-old businessman who made money in clothing manufacturing and the retail market in 1995 before the newspaper was released.

Beijing promised great autonomy for 50 years after the city of Hong Kong was ceded to Chinese sovereignty by the British in 1997, including freedom of the press and expression.

Lai has long been one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese city. When Li PengThe Chinese leader, who was closely linked to the Tiananmen Square massacre, justified the crackdown on student protesters, Lai was outraged. He called it a “turtle egg” in an opinion piece, a Chinese insult similar to calling someone a “son of a bitch,” and has been an enemy of Beijing ever since.

Apple Daily has mixed celebrity gossip with serious news and research. Among the major publications published on Chinese soil, he was willing to criticize local and central government leaders and spread his influence in the city media. “The company has also fed a lot of senior journalists,” said Ronson Chan, president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

The classic was not without criticism and has been accused of sensationalism, sexism and racism. Until the early 2000s, he ran a column under the pseudonym “Fat Dragon,” which interspersed criticism of local bureaucrats with reviews of brothels. He has recently been accused of profiling racially in the coverage of ethnic minorities and the city’s Chinese mainland population.

Apple Daily was popular but the newspaper and Laik have had a firestorm since the 2019 protests, accusing the company of cheering. The Chronicle printed large placards that shook the protests and winked at the authorities and Carrie Lam, the city’s chief executive.

“Supporting Apple Daily became a kind of activism,” said Rose Luqiu, an assistant professor of journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University. This has included buying shares in Next Digital, his parent group.

“In addition to reporting on the social movement, the movement was also mobilizing.” This prompted the authorities to use tougher repressive tactics, ”Luqiu added.

Tim, a 21-year-old student, began reading the newspaper because he reported the demonstrations. “Especially during the protests, we saw clearly that we needed the Apple Daily in our lives,” he said. “It has driven my political views.”

The activist view of the newspaper, however, may have accelerated its demise, analysts say.

Lai zen condemned for participating in a protest this year. He also holds various charges, including conspiracy to join foreign forces under national security law, and has been jailed. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment and many believe he will never be free again.

Arrested Apple Daily executives include Ryan Law newspaper CEO and an opinion writer who uses the name Li Ping. Hundreds of newspaper journalists are unemployed and live in fear of reprisals.

“There have been greater cuts in the Hong Kong press that have accelerated the process in recent months and come to a head in recent weeks,” said Ian Cheong, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore who studies authoritarianism. Asian.

“Apple Daily is emblematic of the spirit of open and freer news related to Hong Kong. . . So its closure puts an end to that era. “

Authorities will keep up the pressure

Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing have seen the death of Apple Daily as a victory, but have been condemned by Western governments.

U.S. President Joe Biden has blamed the closure for “increased repression by Beijing,” and called on the government to release newspaper workers.

Michelle Bachelet, UN Commissioner for Human Rights, he said the national security law “was increasingly leading to self-censorship of journalists.”

Lam, however, accused Apple Daily of using its status as a media organization as a “protective cover,” saying, “We’re not talking about news organizations or news, but actions that they believe threaten national security.”

Beijing was particularly angry at Apple Daily newspaper publications. Police said the government had pushed for the imposition of sanctions on Hong Kong government and officials in mainland China after the protests. Laik also sided with Donald Trump’s tough outlook in Beijing.

USA punitive punishments Against dozens of Hong Kong and Chinese officials, forcing Lam to remain “Stack of money” in his home the banks were afraid of violating the measures for being customers.

The competition newspapers were also not sympathetic. The Chinese newspaper Ming Pao has accused Apple Daily of being a “political mobilization” that is inappropriate for the regular news organization. The front page of the South China Morning Post read, “Was Apple Daily a defender of freedoms or a defender of national sovereignty?”

Many journalists believe that the authorities can repress Apple beyond that. Chris Yeung, a senior reporter for CitizenNews, a Hong Kong news organization, said prosecutors have worried reporters that allegations or interviews could leave them in jail. “It feels like anything could happen, it’s very worrying,” he said.

In the last hours of the Apple Daily editorial, journalists struggled to report the end of the newspaper.

“There were colleagues crying, there were people taking pictures, and others were still working very hard until the last minute,” one journalist said.

Ingrid Tse, a 25-year-old journalist who recently joined the company, said the reporters were in the office until 6:00 a.m. Thursday to drink, eat and be happy.

When the last paper was sent to print, they all gathered in the middle of the office and shouted congratulations to the editors. “Even at the moment I can’t accept that it’s all over,” he said.