Beijing’s crackdown on dissident voices in Hong Kong, including the arrest on Monday of newspaper owner Jimmy Lai and other pro-democracy figures, has brought swift criticism.
Lai’s Apple Daily newspaper has vowed to ‘fight on’ after its owner’s arrest under the controversial security law imposed by Beijing. Lai, who is viewed as a hero by many in Hong Kong for his direct criticism of Beijing’s top leadership, is the highest-profile detainee under the new legislation so far.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of having ‘eviscerated Hong Kong’s freedoms’. He said in a tweet that he was ‘deeply troubled’ by reports of the arrest of Lai ‘under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law’.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: ‘This is further evidence that the national security law is being used as a pretext to silence opposition. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms of its people.’
The office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on the authorities to monitor the operation of the law and ‘amend it if necessary to ensure there is no scope for its misuse to restrict human rights guaranteed by international law and the Basic Law of Hong Kong’.
Human Rights Watch said: ‘Under Xi Jinping, the Communist Party has long shown itself afraid of public opinion on the mainland, and is using the new national security law to try to smash Hong Kong’s independent voices and settle scores with long-time critics.’
The BBC reported that, in extraordinary scenes streamed by the paper on Monday, a handcuffed Lai was led through his newsroom as nearly 200 police officers raided the building.
He was among 10 people arrested on charges including colluding with foreign forces.
Yesterday, Apple Daily’s front page showed an image of Lai in handcuffs with the headline: ‘Apple Daily must fight on.’
The report said that the newspaper, which offered a rare and unvarnished take on Hong Kong and China’s leadership, announced that more than 500 000 copies were printed, up from the usual 100 000.
China, however, has labelled Lai a traitor.
Chinese officials issued a stark warning to Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club over its statement condemning Monday’s raids and arrests.
The Office of the Commissioners of the Chinese foreign ministry in Hong Kong told the FCC to ‘stop defaming the implementation’ of the new law ‘under the pretext of the freedom of the press’, according to a report by state media, Xinhua.