Apple Daily: Hong Kong police raid sparks rush on newspapers

·3 min read
A woman buys a copy of Apple Daily newspaper at a news stand in Hong Kong, China, 18 June 2021.
Hong Kongers snapped up copies of Apple Daily, a day after police raided its newsroom

People in Hong Kong have queued up to buy copies of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, a day after its newsroom was raided by police.

Its front page carried a message of defiance, reading: "We must press on."

The paper typically prints about 80,000 copies, but had upped that to 500,000. Some news stands sold out.

It came as two of Apple Daily's executives were charged under Hong Kong's controversial new national security law.

Police said two males aged 47 and 59 would appear at West Kowloon Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

The paper named the pair as its editor-in-chief Ryan Law and chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung.

Most of those charged under the law are denied bail and spend months behind bars pre-trial.

Tabloid Apple Daily is known for its bold criticism of the mainland Chinese leadership.

Its billionaire owner Jimmy Lai, a high-profile supporter of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, is already in jail on a string of charges, including participating in an unauthorised assembly in 2019.

He is one of dozens of prominent activists arrested since Beijing introduced the national security law last year.

Some 500 police officers descended on the Apple Daily newsroom on Thursday, carrying away computers and hard-drives.

Police also froze HK$18m ($2.3m; £1.64m) of assets owned by three companies linked to the paper.

The editor-in-chief and four other executives were arrested at their homes. The three staff not charged on Friday - chief operating officer Chow Tat-kuen, deputy chief editor Chan Pui-man, and chief executive editor Cheung Chi-wai - remain under investigation.

In a press briefing, police said that since 2019, Apple Daily had published more than 30 articles calling on countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and mainland China.

The paper broadcast live footage of the raid on its Facebook account.

The push to complete Friday's edition took place under the watch of fellow media outlets. The newspaper had become its own story, its front page emblazoned with the words Mr Cheung told staff as he was led away in handcuffs: "We must press on."

A proof reader surrounded by members of the media works in the newsroom of the Apple Daily newspaper on 17 June 2021
A proof reader at work on the day of the raid, documented by members of rival media organisations
The front cover of Apple Daily on Friday 18 June, 2021 - featuring pictures of the five arrested staff members
The front page of Friday's paper carried pictures of the five arrested staff members

In Mongkok district, Hong Kongers queued in the early hours for the first edition.

"Usually we sell around 60 copies but tonight, we just sold 1,800," one news stand owner told AFP.

Apple Daily reported that "some bought 10 or 100 copies at one go to show their support, taking the stacks of papers with them using a trolley or a car".

Customer Steven Chow, who bought three copies, observed: "There is no perfect media, but it [Apple Daily] is a unique voice in Hong Kong.

"You may not like it, but I think you need to let them have their voice and survive, it is important."

It is unclear how long the paper can keep running after the latest asset freeze.

The UN's chief human rights spokesperson, Rupert Colville, said on Friday that the newsroom raid "sends a further chilling message for media freedom".

"We call on Hong Kong authorities to respect their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in line with the Basic Law, in particular freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association and the right to participate in public affairs," he said.

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