Hong Kong: Third news company shutters amid Chinese crackdown on dissent
Story highlights
The company said its shut down had been triggered by the closure of Stand News, a pro-democracy media outlet. Hong Kong police had raided its office and arrested seven people
Independent online publication Citizen News has become the third company to close in Hong Kong as media fears grow amid the rise in the Chinese crackdown.
The company said its shut down had been triggered by the closure of Stand News, a pro-democracy media outlet. Hong Kong police had raided its office and arrested seven people.
Chris Yeung, the chief writer at Citizen News and former president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told reporters, "The decision was made within a short period of time. The trigger point was the fate of Stand News."
"We could not rule out that ... we might be exposed to some risks."
"We have been trying our best not to violate any laws but we can no longer see clearly the lines of law enforcement and we can no longer feel safe to work," he said.
"Journalists are also human beings with families and friends," he added.
Beijing is overseeing a sweeping crackdown on dissent ever since it passed the Hong Kong national security law under which saying or printing anything against the Communist Party of China is considered "sedition".
Hong Kong had long been a regional and international media hub, even as the city's press freedom ranking steadily slipped over the last decade.
But in the last 18 months, unprecedented changes have swept through the industry, primarily targeting the local press.
China says rights advocacy is being used as an attempt to disrupt Hong Kong's progress after the security law restored stability.
Outspoken tabloid Apple Daily collapsed last year after its assets were frozen and key leaders arrested under a new national security law over the content it published.
(With inputs from agencies)