Another Hong Kong media company known for supporting democracy in the territory has decided to close.
Officials from the news website Citizen News announced Sunday the publication would halt operations. The officials told reporters the decision was linked to the forced closure last week of another pro-democracy media company, Stand News.
Hong Kong police raided the offices of Stand News last Wednesday. They arrested several current or former employees. Police also seized money and property from the business.
Leaders of Citizen News said the news site was not ordered to close by the government. However, they said it was decided that worsening media freedoms in Hong Kong had made it difficult for the online publication to go on.
“We all love this place, deeply,” Citizen News said in a statement. But it added: “What was ahead of us is not just pouring rains or blowing winds, but hurricanes and tsunamis.”
Chris Yeung was the chief writer at Citizen News and a former president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association. He told Reuters the decision came as the media environment in the former British territory continues to “deteriorate.”
Yeung added: "We could not rule out that...we might be exposed to some risks."
In addition to the closure of Stand News, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily stopped publishing in June. The newspaper said it was forced to close after police arrested several top officials and froze $2.3 million in company money and property.
Citizen News was founded in 2017 by a group of experienced reporters. The website published political news, opinion pieces and special investigations.
A national security law for Hong Kong was passed in 2020 by the Chinese government in Beijing. The law has made independent reporting in the territory increasingly difficult. Reporters and political activists have been arrested under the law. It has also led many pro-democracy activists to flee Hong Kong.
Critics of the national security law say it seeks to silence dissent and crush freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it passed from British to mainland Chinese rule in 1997. Rights of the territory’s citizens were to be guaranteed under its Basic Law for 50 years.
Meanwhile, 90 members of Hong Kong’s legislature were sworn in on Monday just weeks after elections that effectively barred pro-democracy candidates.
Pro-Beijing or established lawmakers won 89 of the 90 seats in the December 19 elections. The elections were the first since China amended Hong Kong’s electoral laws to reduce the number of directly elected lawmakers. The new laws permit China to influence which candidates can run.
Only one third of Hong Kong voters took part in last month’s elections. The low turnout rate came as top opposition politicians called on voters to either boycott the election or turn in empty ballots.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
_______________________________________________
Words in This Story
hurricane – n. an extremely large and powerful storm
tsunami – n. a high, large wave in the ocean that is usually caused by an earthquake under the sea and that can cause great destruction when it reaches land
deteriorate – v. to become worse
expose – v. to experience or be affected by something
