One of Hong Kong’s most established pro-democracy civic organizations said it is letting go its paid staff and halving the size of its steering committee after Beijing stepped up its crackdown on opposition activity in the territory.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China is best known for organizing an annual rally and candlelight vigil remembering those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The group said in a statement on Saturday that seven of its 14 remaining steering committee members had decided to step down in the face of “growing political and legal risks.”
Photo: AFP
Of the seven members remaining, three are in jail for protest-related activities: chairman Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人), and vice chairpersons Albert Ho (何俊仁) and Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤).
Letting go of staff was to “ensure their safety,” and would take effect at the end of the month, the statement said.
While the 32-year-old group said the changes would affect its operations, it vowed that “regardless of whatever difficulties or challenges we face, the alliance will continue to grit our teeth and move onwards one step at a time.”
Meanwhile, the US and allies, including Germany, Japan and the UK, criticized a crackdown by Hong Kong authorities on the outspoken Apple Daily newspaper and its staff.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday by the 21-country Media Freedom Coalition, the governments condemned authorities’ use of the National Security Law that China imposed on Hong Kong to shut down the newspaper and arrest owner Jimmy Lai (黎智英) and staff.
They expressed “strong concerns” about the closing and warned of the potential of increased media censorship if further legislation is passed.
“The use of the National Security Law to suppress journalism is a serious and negative step which undermines Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong,” said the statement released by the US Department of State.
It called on Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to uphold press freedom “in line with China’s international legal obligations.”
The pro-democracy Apple Daily published its final edition on June 24 with people in Hong Kong rushing out to buy it in protest at the government crackdown.
The paper said it had been forced to cease publication after its bank accounts were frozen and top editors arrested for contravening the National Security Law.
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