Media Freedom Coalition Statement on Hong Kong’s Apple Daily

You are subscribed to Collected Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Media Freedom Coalition Statement on Hong Kong's Apple Daily 07/10/2021 11:07 AM EDT Office of the Spokesperson The undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition express their strong concerns about the forced closure of the Apple Daily newspaper, and the arrest of its staff by the Hong Kong authorities. The use of the National Security Law to suppress journalism is a serious and negative step which undermines Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, as provided for in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The action against Apple Daily comes against a backdrop of increased media censorship in Hong Kong, including pressure on the independence of the public broadcaster and recent legal action by the Hong Kong authorities against journalists. We are highly concerned by the possible introduction of new legislation that is intended or could risk being used to eliminate scrutiny and criticism by the media of the government's policies and actions. Freedom of the press has been central to Hong Kong's success and international reputation over many years.  Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities should fully respect and uphold this important right, in line with China's international legal obligations. Signed by the Governments of Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America. Stay connected with the State Department: External links found in this content or on Department of State websites that go to other non-Department websites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.    Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This email was sent to ignoble.experiment@arconati.us using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Department of State · 2201 C Street NW · Washington, DC 20520