Caymans Post

A world within. A state apart.
Thursday, Apr 25, 2024

Biden Calls Closure Of Hong Kong's Apple Daily "Sad Day For Media Freedom"

Biden Calls Closure Of Hong Kong's Apple Daily "Sad Day For Media Freedom"

Joe Biden called on Beijing to stop targeting the independent press and release detained journalists and media executives.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday called the closure of Hong Kong's Apple Daily tabloid a "sad day for media freedom" and said it signaled "intensifying repression" by China, while vowing to maintain support for the people of the Chinese-ruled territory.

In a statement following the news outlet's closure earlier on Thursday, Biden called on Beijing to stop targeting the independent press and release detained journalists and media executives.

"People in Hong Kong have the right to freedom of the press. Instead, Beijing is denying basic liberties and assaulting Hong Kong's autonomy and democratic institutions and processes, inconsistent with its international obligations," he said.

Apple Daily was forced to end a 26-year run amid a national security crackdown that froze the company's funds. Its closure prompted snaking lines of hundreds of loyal readers at newsstands across the city.

"It is a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world," Biden said, adding that the publication had been "a much-needed bastion of independent journalism in Hong Kong."

"Through arrests, threats, and forcing through a National Security Law that penalizes free speech, Beijing has insisted on wielding its power to suppress independent media and silence dissenting views," he said.

BIDEN VOWS SUPPORT


Biden vowed that the United States "will not waver in our support of people in Hong Kong and all those who stand up for the basic freedoms all people deserve."

The shutdown deals the most serious blow yet to Hong Kong's media freedoms and could potentially destroy the city's reputation as a media hub after Beijing imposed the security law on the financial center last year, media advocacy groups say.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet took aim on Thursday at the "negative consequences" she said Apple Daily owner Jimmy Lai faced for exercising his rights, criticizing the tycoon's detention.

Speaking to the 2021 Society of Publishers in Asia press awards ceremony held in Hong Kong, Bachelet said the national security law was leading journalists to "self-censor" to avoid clashing with "vaguely formulated offenses."

Lai has been in jail since December over unauthorized rallies during Hong Kong's mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. He is facing three national security charges, including colluding with a foreign country and is already serving several sentences for taking part in unauthorized rallies.

Britain's foreign minister Dominic Raab called on China to respect its commitments to free media under an agreement with Britain over how Hong Kong would be ruled after its return from British rule to China in 1997.

"We certainly view what's been happening in with the closure of the Apple Daily and the arrest of journalists very, very seriously," he said. "We call on China to respect the terms that it freely signed up to and we think that's a matter of trust as well as important for the people of Hong Kong."

UNAPOLOGETIC TABLOID


Apple Daily was an unapologetic tabloid that mixed pro-democracy discourse with celebrity gossip and investigations of those in power. It had been a thorn in Beijing's side.

Last year, before Biden won the U.S. presidential election, it published two articles on his son Hunter Biden and his ties to a Taiwanese businessman who the paper said was a purported broker "enabling Hunter Biden's deals in mainland China over a decade".

Lai said on Twitter in October he personally had "nothing to do with" a report on Hunter Biden's alleged China business links, but admitted funds from his private firm and had been used to fund it.

ONE MILLION COPIES


In anticipation of robust demand for its final print run, The Apple Daily printed 1 million copies, or more than 10 times its usual.

Emotions ran high on Thursday among supporters of the paper, which has faced an unrelenting squeeze since Lai's arrest in August 2020.

"I couldn't sleep well for the past few nights," said Tse, 60, a former medical worker, who leaned on a cart to support herself as she queued for a paper. "I hope reporters can stay true to their faith and keep working hard."

Some Apple Daily staff expressed anger and frustration.

"(After) today, there is no press freedom in Hong Kong," said Dickson Ng, 51, a designer at the paper. "I feel very disappointed and angry."

Last week, 500 officers raided the newspaper's headquarters, sifting through reporters' notes and other journalistic material in scenes that drew international condemnation.

Five executives were arrested, and two - chief editor Ryan Law and Cheung Kim-hung - were charged with conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country and denied bail. On Wednesday, a columnist for the paper was also arrested under the national security law.

Officials in Hong Kong and China have repeatedly said media freedoms are respected but are not absolute.

"Hong Kong is a society that has rule of law. ... No one or no organization is above the law," a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said. "All rights and freedom, including media freedom, cannot go beyond the bottom line of national security."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Caymans Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×