US-led group slams ‘attacks’ on HK press freedom

Bloomberg

A US-led group of democracies condemned China for “suppression” of Hong Kong’s press freedoms in a statement that was “firmly rejected” by China, highlighting lingering tensions over human rights.
Calling themselves the Media Freedom Coalition, 21 countries including the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Canada and Japan said in a statement released by the State Department that they “express their deep concern at the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities’ attacks on freedom of the press and their suppression of independent local media in Hong Kong.”
The statement said authorities have pursued independent media outlets such as the recently closed Stand News and Citizen News since China’s imposition of a national security law, adding these “actions further undermine confidence in Hong Kong’s international reputation.”
China’s Foreign Ministry office in Hong Kong said in a statement the comments “slandered” the city’s law enforcement activities and that the security law has restored stability after protests in 2019.
Hong Kong’s authorities have used the national security law —which bars subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces — to arrest dozens of opposition politicians, activists, journalists and lawyers. Many of them have been accused of political crimes and were denied bail before trials that were often delayed.
A number of Hong Kong news outlets, unions and charities have shut under official pressure or amid fears that their activities could violate the security law’s broad clauses on subversion.
In December, police raided Stand News, which was often critical of the government, and the news outlet later closed. Independent online site Citizen News ceased publication in January, citing fears for the safety of its staff. Last year, the popular pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, owned by now-jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai, shut after it was raided by 500 police officers, had its top editors arrested and saw its bank accounts frozen.