FactWire, a Hong Kong news outlet, is closing with immediate effect. The company was one of the most innovative and award-winning independent media in Hong Kong. It had a unique crowdfunding model and a focus on Chinese-language investigative journalism. The closure comes as the National Security Law is due to come into effect on June 30, 2020.
The security law has been one of the most important tools in Beijing’s authoritarian takeover of Hong Kong. It has made it easier for the Chinese Communist Party to control Hong Kong and its free and vibrant society. It is a far cry from the days when Hong Kong was a thriving, free and democratic society.
The crackdown has weakened the media scene in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy media outlets such as Stand News and Apple Daily have closed their doors. The media outlet’s founder Jimmy Lai and several other employees have been arrested, and security forces have frozen their bank accounts. The shutdown of Stand News and Apple Daily is part of a larger crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. The latest disruption came last week, when a group of pro-democracy protesters disrupted the morning commute in the capital.
In the wake of the protests in January 2019, the government took over RTHK and ordered the removal of memorial statues and banned the publication of articles critical of the government’s response. However, Hong Kong’s press remains largely independent, and there are several independent newspapers operating in the city. Some of them include Stand News, Hong Kong Free Press, Citizen News, and Epoch Times.
The protests began in protest of the extradition agreement, but the movement turned into a demand for democratic reform and independence. As a result, the slogans of the protesters changed. One prominent figure of the movement, Edward Leung, is currently serving a six-year jail term for his involvement in the Mong Kok unrest. From behind bars, he has become a symbol of the movement.
In Hong Kong, pro-democracy activists have come forward to say that Chinese authorities have been questioning their friends and family in mainland China. The pro-democracy activist Yat-Chin Wong, a founder of StudentPoliticism, which promotes core values of Hong Kong, was arrested twice last year. She claims that national security officers have warned her to cease activism.
The government has repeatedly stated that press freedom in Hong Kong is not absolute. However, police chief Raymond Siu has recently proposed legislation that will have a direct impact on the media. He blamed the media for public mistrust in the government. He also welcomed the introduction of fake news laws. These steps are likely to exacerbate the situation and hinder press freedom in the city.
Pro-democracy activists have also been arrested and imprisoned. Pro-democracy activists have been convicted of seditious intent. Some have even been arrested under the national security law.