According to reports, the Hong Kong Democracy News website Stand News said It will suspend subscriptions and temporarily delete old columns And comment on the article to support only publishing news articles from now on, because the “speech crime” has reached Hong Kong, according to reports A statement Released on Sunday.
The decision was made a few days later in the Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper. Apple DailyAs part of China’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s democratic sentiment, which was seen as a threat to national security, its $2.3 million in assets were frozen and forced to close.
Although it has not been confirmed that the position news will be shut down by the police, Ronson Chan, the deputy expatriate editor of the website, said that Hong Kong citizens are worried about this. Due to recent closure Apple Daily Seen as a major blow to freedom of the press.
“Half of Hong Kong people said that Stand News will be the next target,” Chen told VOA News.
“I have not heard very clear news. We may be searched or our employees will be arrested. Based on my understanding of the law and police actions, I think there is no problem with our news reporting.”
Stand News said that the suspension of subscription and donation services is to prevent supporters’ money from being wasted when the site is closed. The news outlet did point out that it has sufficient funds to support operations for 9 to 12 months.
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Stand News stated that it issued the five announcements in its statement “to protect supporters, authors, and editors, and to reduce risks for all parties.”
Apple Daily Columnist Jack Hazlewood tweeted about Stand News’s decision to remove columns and review articles from its website, with a link to Stand News’s statement.
“This may not attract the attention of the international media, but it is a very, very dark time for press freedom in Hong Kong,” Hadeswood wrote.
This may not arouse the attention of the international media, but it is a very, very dark time for press freedom in Hong Kong.
— Jack Hazlewood (@JackHHazlewood) June 27, 2021
Stand News also stated that in May it terminated the contracts of employees who had worked in the store for more than half a year, giving them higher remuneration than required by law, and the option to re-employ. It stated in the statement that most employees decided to stay and work as usual.
The statement said that the decision to terminate the employment was to protect employees because five editors and executives including the CEO Apple Daily Hundreds of policemen were arrested during a raid on the newsroom this week. CNN Report. The editor and chief executive of the newspaper was refused bail.
The six directors of Position News accepted the resignation proposal, while the two founding directors Cai Chaowei and chief editor Zhong Peiquan decided to stay.
