Hong Kong police arrest Apple Daily's editor in chief

More than 200 police officers searched the offices of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily Thursday for evidence it violated Hong Kong’s draconic national security law. Earlier in the day, security forces detained Ryan Law, the newspaper’s editor in chief, as well as four of the company’s directors on suspicion of colluding with a “foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” Authorities also froze $2.3 million worth of assets belonging to companies linked to Apple Daily.

Why the crackdown? Police claim more than 30 articles published by the newspaper played a “crucial part” in convincing foreign countries to impose sanctions against China and Hong Kong over its crackdown on its freedoms. State-owned media have long suggested Apple Daily violated the national security law, as the paper is known for its staunch pro-democracy outlook and open criticism of Beijing. Jimmy Lai, the paper’s founder, is currently serving a 20-month sentence for his role in unauthorized assemblies in 2019. He is also under investigation on foreign collusion charges under the security law.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report on Jimmy Lai’s arrest.