On Tuesday, the United States joined a group of 20 other countries in condemning Chinese authorities for the “near-complete disappearance of local independent media outlets in Hong Kong,” according to the United Nations.
In a joint statement, the United States State Department and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced that, since passing new national security measures over Hong Kong in June 2020, Chinese authorities have targeted and suppressed independent media in the Special Administrative Region.
Several countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Estonian and Finnish governments, the German and Icelandic governments, Italy’s and Japan’s ministries of justice and foreign affairs, and the ministries of foreign affairs and foreign affairs of the United Kingdom and the European Union, joined the Media Freedom Coalition in condemning China’s national security laws.
Following the implementation of China’s so-called “national security regulations,” which criminalized acts of “sedition,” “subversion,” “secession,” and “terrorism,” news outlets in Hong Kong have been under heightened pressure from Hong Kong authorities.
Hong Kong security secretary Chris Tang had previously accused Stand News of “biased, smearing, and demonizing” reporting for its coverage of circumstances at a prison in the city earlier in December.
The raid on the Stand News offices was carried out with the assistance of more than 200 police officers.
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Additionally, the self-closure of Citizen News was included in the joint statement, which stated that the move was made due to “concerns about the safety of its workers.”
The 21 member countries of the Media Freedom Coalition made a joint statement in which they referred to police raids on Hong Kong’s Stand News offices and the subsequent arrests of Stand News employees in December.
“Unfortunately, we can no longer strive to turn our beliefs into reality without fear as a result of the sea change in society that has occurred over the past two years, as well as the deteriorating media environment,” Citizen News stated in its announcement of its decision to close in January.
Both Stand News and Citizen News were forced to close their doors just months after Hong Kong’s Apple Daily was forced to close after being subjected to a slew of police raids, arrests, and allegations that the Apple Daily was conspiring with foreign elements to endanger national security.
Also arrested and accused of sedition and cooperation with foreign entities is Jimmy Lai, the founder of the Apple Daily news website.
“China has eroded the protected rights and freedoms established by the Basic Law and has undermined China’s obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” according to the joint statement released on Tuesday.
Towards the end of the statement, it is said that “a stable and prosperous Hong Kong in which human rights and fundamental freedoms are preserved should be in everyone’s interest.”
“We call on Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities to uphold freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Hong Kong, in accordance with the Basic Law and China’s commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” the statement reads.