The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed the Hong Kong government for arresting media executives, describing it as an attack on press freedom.
“The Hong Kong government’s repeated use of an infamous law against the media is beyond belief for a democratic country,” the council said in a statement.
More than 100 dissidents have been arrested in the former British colony since the Hong Kong National Security Law took effect in June last year, it said.
“The continued repression of freedom of speech, press freedom and civil rights will only erode Hong Kong people’s support for its government and further damage Hong Kong’s international image,” it said.
The statement came a day after Hong Kong police raided the newsroom of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and arrested its editor-in-chief and four executives on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
Hong Kong authorities also froze HK$18 million (US$2.32 million) of assets belonging to three Apple Daily-linked companies.
Hong Kong Secretary of Security John Lee (李家超) told reporters that the operation was not a media clampdown, but aimed at people who use news reporting as a tool to endanger national security.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said in a statement that the Hong Kong government’s repression of freedom of speech is regrettable.
“The Hong Kong government’s law enforcement operation has had a chilling effect and essentially reduces freedom of speech in Hong Kong. The move is highly worrisome and regrettable,” it said.
The KMT urged the Hong Kong government to listen to its people and build a harmonious society, adding that the arrest of media leaders would not help improve relations between the people of Hong Kong and mainland China.
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