HK Journalist Association: Press freedom is Broken under the national security law

On the first anniversary of the implementation of the National Security Law in The Hong Kong Area enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, the Hong Kong Journalists Association recently published the 2021 annual report on freedom of expression entitled “Broken Freedom”, describing the rapid deterioration of the media environment in Hong Kong in the past year. The report also noted Apple Daily, a subsidiary of Next Media, had its funds frozen and its operations suspended after senior officials allegedly violated national security laws.

After Apple Daily closed, police arrested lam Man Chung, the paper’s former managing editor, at his home. Former vice president Chen Pei-min and former chief writer Feng Wei-kwong, who were earlier released on bail, were also held at the police station for investigation. The chairman of the journalists’ association, Chen Langsheng, said he could not understand the repeated arrests of journalists and urged the authorities to stop arresting journalists.

Founded 26 years Hong Kong’s Apple daily in the port security law in a year, twice by the police security personnel search newspaper, including Next Media founder Mr. Lai, more than 10 management and journalists was arrested by the police, and the freezing of funds, more than 2.32 million dollars to maintain the website and newspaper publication of operation, became the first media outlet to be shut down under the national Security Law.

On July 21, Hong Kong Journalists Association Chairman Chan Lank-sing was questioned by former Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau on a network show in which he said he was “puzzled” by the repeated arrests of news editors and that the authorities did not understand the operation of media organizations.

Chen Langsheng said: “I think it is time and time again to arrest some editors, we are ‘puzzled’, said the reason is not clear what is. What we all worry about is, how do the authorities understand journalism? Do they know, as I just said, that the management of the company is independent, and the management of the company is making decisions that many people have the opportunity to make. I don’t think they do. For example, when we searched Apple Daily (Next Media Building) for the first time, some editors said that they were all doing live broadcasts and interviews together. The police would say that when you are an editor, you are not supposed to edit things and change things, which is to tell him that of course not, in fact, being an editor can have a lot of work.”

Chen added, that the security bureau, as well as the police and the national security department, do not understand the operation of media organizations, the arrest may be a miscarriage of justice, I hope the court processing the bail application of the relevant editors, the national security law can explain the red line of the arrest of journalists.