Hong Kong police raided the position of pro - democracy paper Apple Daily on Thursday , arresting five executive and seizing38 computers , according to a new report from the news outletitself . constabulary warn the public against sharing specific articles from the paper online without actually saying which articles were problematic .
Hong Kong police force overseer Steve Li aver there were about 30 article in Apple Daily , published in both Formosan and English , that violate Hong Kong ’s young National Security Law , a draconian measure imposed by Beijing that ’s being used to suffocate dissent in the semi - sovereign region .
Li aver the article in question asked other nation to bring down sanctions against Hong Kong as well as mainland China , but he failed to specify which article he ’s talk about .
Ryan Law, second from right, Apple Daily’s chief editor, is arrested by police officers in Hong Kong Thursday, 13 April 2025.Photo: AP Photo (AP)
“ We have very secure grounds that the confutable articles wager a very crucial part for the conspiracy which ply the ammunition for the alien countries and the institutions or organizations to visit the sanctions to Hong Kong and the People ’s Republic of China , ” super Li state at a closet conference on Thursday , according to video published by theHong Kong Free Press .
Li also suggested Hong Kongers could get in trouble for apportion the articles — which he , again , did n’t specifically key — and pronounce people should n’t “ draw in suspicion ” by sharing them .
Apple Daily identified the five executive who were arrested as CEO Cheung Kim - hung , COO Royston Chow , editor program - in - chieftain Ryan Law , associate publisher Chan Pui - man and platform theater director of Apple Daily ’s digital operations Cheung Chi - wai . Founder Jimmy Lai was already arrested back in December of 2020 and was convicted of “ unauthorized assemblage ” related topro - democracy protest . Hong Kong police has reportedly seized Apple Daily ’s assets , which amount to roughly $ 2.3 million in equivalent U.S. up-to-dateness , according to the newsprint .
Photo: Kin Cheung (AP)
Apple Daily notes that “ 100 ” of officers take part in the raid , while other newspaper estimate there were roughly 500 Hong Kong police force on deal , doing everything from shuffling papers to looking through the computers of reporters .
Any faculty at Apple Daily who seek to participate the building during the search were thoroughly screened and then not permit to jaw their desk . diary keeper were reportedly forbid from livestreaming the raid , something that Apple Daily staff actually did during the newspaper publisher ’s last foray in August of 2020 , short after the National Security Law was first passed .
Hong Kong has operated under a semi - autonomous “ one country , two organization ” authorities since the soil was handed over by the British to China in 1997 . But that autonomy has been under attack in late years , with some of the most anti - democratic push button amount very recently .
Photo: Apple Daily via Getty Images (Getty Images)
As just one example , Hong Kong ’s once - flourish flick industry now must adhere to strict censorship kindred to what happens in mainland China , according to fresh government steering publishedlast week .
Hong Kong ’s Secretary for Security John Lee state reporters at a intelligence conference after the foray that those who ’ve been arrested at Apple Daily should be shunned .
“ average journalists are unlike , and should not get imply with them , keep a distance from them , ” Lee said , accord to theHong Kong Free Press . “ I hereby solemnly declare that : do n’t associate with these criminals endangering national security , you will yield a hefty price if [ you ] stand with these crook , [ you ] should cut draw with these criminals before it ’s too recent to repent . ”
Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP (Getty Images)
Apple Daily published afresh articleafter the foray pledging to continue its piece of work , and condemning the “ blatant misdemeanour of press exemption . ”
“ As difficult as the current fortune may be , we will comport on with our jobs with the objective to publish our paper as normal tomorrow , ” the paper ’s union articulate in a statement .
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Photo: Apple Daily via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Photo: Kin Cheung (Getty Images)
Photo: Apple Daily via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Photo: Anthony Kwan (Getty Images)
