[ HKFP ] Hong Kong’s Apple Daily may halt publication this Sat, pending Fri board meeting
Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy print newspaper Apple Daily says it could stop publishing on Saturday, if the government continues to keep its assets frozen after arresting five executives under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
The tabloid said management of Next Digital, the newspaper’s parent company, will decide on Friday whether to continue publishing the 26-year-old newspaper.
Some 500 police raided the paper last Thursday after arresting the five on suspicion of violating the security law, by publishing more than 30 articles which allegedly called for sanctions on the Beijing and Hong Kong governments.
The force also seized journalistic materials including 38 computers from the newsroom during the five-hour raid, the first such operation related to media content since the security law was imposed on Hong Kong almost a year ago. It provides for penalties of up to life imprisonment.
