hong kong – A Hong Kong online news site said on Sunday that it would cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedom, days after a police raid and the arrest of seven people on treason charges at a separate pro-democracy news outlet .
citizen news announced its decision in a Facebook post on Sunday. It said it would stop updating its site on January 4th and that it would be shut down after that.
“We have always loved this land, but currently we are helpless as we are facing not only wind and rain, but also tornadoes and huge waves,” it said in a statement.
“We have never forgotten our original intentions, but it is a pity that in the past two years the rapid changes in society and the deterioration in the media environment have prevented us from achieving our ideals without any concern.”
Citizen News is the third news outlet to shut down in recent months, after a pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and online site Stand News. Authorities in the semi-autonomous city, once known as a hub for vibrant media outlets, have turned to silent dissent. Beijing A comprehensive national security law was enacted in 2019 following massive pro-democracy protests.
Days after the imminent closure of Citizen News, authorities raided Stand News and arrested seven people – including editors and former board members – for allegedly plotting to publish seditious material. Stand News announced the same day that it would stop operating.
Two former editors of Stand News were later formally charged with sedition.
In December, the opposition was kicked out of elections under a new law that puts all candidates to a loyalty test, and monuments were removed to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square bloody crackdown in Beijing.
The US and other Western governments have condemned the dwindling press and civil liberties, which Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years after Hong Kong was ceded in 1997. Britain,
leader of hong kong Carrie Llamo Defending the raid on Stand News last week, he told reporters that “inciting other people … under the guise of news reporting cannot be forgiven.”
citizen news announced its decision in a Facebook post on Sunday. It said it would stop updating its site on January 4th and that it would be shut down after that.
“We have always loved this land, but currently we are helpless as we are facing not only wind and rain, but also tornadoes and huge waves,” it said in a statement.
“We have never forgotten our original intentions, but it is a pity that in the past two years the rapid changes in society and the deterioration in the media environment have prevented us from achieving our ideals without any concern.”
Citizen News is the third news outlet to shut down in recent months, after a pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and online site Stand News. Authorities in the semi-autonomous city, once known as a hub for vibrant media outlets, have turned to silent dissent. Beijing A comprehensive national security law was enacted in 2019 following massive pro-democracy protests.
Days after the imminent closure of Citizen News, authorities raided Stand News and arrested seven people – including editors and former board members – for allegedly plotting to publish seditious material. Stand News announced the same day that it would stop operating.
Two former editors of Stand News were later formally charged with sedition.
In December, the opposition was kicked out of elections under a new law that puts all candidates to a loyalty test, and monuments were removed to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square bloody crackdown in Beijing.
The US and other Western governments have condemned the dwindling press and civil liberties, which Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years after Hong Kong was ceded in 1997. Britain,
leader of hong kong Carrie Llamo Defending the raid on Stand News last week, he told reporters that “inciting other people … under the guise of news reporting cannot be forgiven.”
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