Canada Voices Support for Media Freedom in Hong Kong on 2nd Anniversary of Crackdown

Police are seen outside the headquarters of the Apple Daily newspaper and its publisher Next Digital Ltd. in Hong Kong on June 17, 2021. Hong Kong's national security police raided the office of Apple Daily, the city's pro-democracy newspaper run by media magnate Jimmy Lai, in an operation involving more than 200 officers. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Canada is reaffirming its support for press freedom in Hong Kong amid ongoing concerns about Beijing’s increased suppression of journalists in the region.

In a statement recalling the closing of pro-democracy media outlets in Hong Kong two years ago, Global Affairs Canada’s Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion said “Canada is pleased to support the @MediaFreedomC statement on media freedom in Hong Kong.”

The statement was posted on the social media platform X on Dec. 29, 2023.

The Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), an organization aimed at advocating for journalists and media workers, released a statement that day, marking the second anniversary of the closure of Stand News and the arrest of its staff. The media outlet was known for publishing voices supportive of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The MFC said its members “remain deeply concerned at the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities’ continued attacks on freedom of the press” and the suppression of independent local media in Hong Kong.

“Freedom of the press has been central to Hong Kong’s success for many years. Curtailing the space for free expression of alternative views weakens vital checks and balances on executive power,” the MFC said. “The free flow and exchange of opinions and information is vital to Hong Kong’s people, business and international reputation.”

“We urge the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to abide by their international human rights commitments and legal obligations and to preserve Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and respect for universal rights and freedoms.”

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On Dec. 29, 2021, more than 200 Hong Kong national security police conducted a raid on Stand News’ office, froze its assets, and arrested seven executives. The arrests were made based on allegations of participating in a “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” in violation of the city’s colonial-era Crimes Ordinance. Subsequently, the independent media outlet terminated its operation and dismissed all staff members.

Hong Kong enjoyed relative autonomy since its return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, maintaining separate legal and administrative systems compared to other territories under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, Beijing has drawn international attention for its attempts to tighten control over the region, as seen in 2019 with the proposal of changes to fugitive laws. These changes aimed to establish a mechanism for case-by-case transfers of fugitives from the region to the communist-controlled mainland, raising safety concerns, especially for critics of the Beijing regime.

A massive pro-democracy movement erupted in Hong Kong in 2019, fuelled by opposition to changes in the fugitive law. In response to this movement, the authorities implemented the National Security Law in June 2020, establishing specific offences such as secession, subversion of state power, and collusion with foreign entities, which is widely perceived as a measure to restrict free speech and impede the promotion of democracy.

Prior to the raid on Stand News, around 500 Hong Kong police reportedly raided the headquarters of the newspaper Apple Daily on June 17, 2021, leading to the arrest of five directors. Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of the CCP, had been arrested by Hong Kong authorities about a year earlier in August 2020 on charges related to violating the National Security Law. Mr. Lai’s trial began in Hong Kong on Dec. 18, 2023, and is expected to last for 80 days.

On Dec. 12, 2023, Canadian MPs unanimously adopted a motion calling for the release of Mr. Lai.

The MFC highlighted that local media in Hong Kong has “intensified self-censorship” following the implementation of the National Security Law, widely seen as restricting free speech and hindering the promotion of democracy in the autonomous region.

“The Hong Kong authorities’ prolonged prosecutions of journalists like the Stand News team and publishers such as Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai creates a chilling effect on others in the press and media. They come against the backdrop of loss of editorial independence, the barring of journalists seeking to cover government press briefings and the removal of material from public broadcasting archives,” the MFC said.