Since the adoption of the ultra-repressive national security law passed by order of Beijing, the independent press can no longer work in Hong Kong. After the police raid on a famous and very popular news site last week, one of the last critical editorial staff in Hong Kong has just made a radical choice. The online publication ceases its activity by itself to avoid prosecution and protect its teams.
” We all love this land deeply, plead the journalists of Citizen News. But what is falling on our heads today is not a little rain. It’s a hurricane. And we can no longer afford to fearlessly describe our reality “.
” Our understanding of press freedom has changed dramatically, says Chris Yeung, the editor of Citizen News. Hong Kong has always seen itself as a pluralistic and diverse society, where independent voices served the interests of the people. But the climate in which the media work is getting tougher every day. Those who are seen as overly critical or troublemakers are increasingly vulnerable. That is why we made this decision. “
Citizen News stops on Tuesday morning. The site will no longer be updated and should close permanently in the coming weeks. With the search and forced closure of Stand News last week, the pro-democracy news platforms still active in Hong Kong can now be counted on the fingers of one hand and are undoubtedly living their last hours.