The six editors and directors of the shut down pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily pleaded guilty Tuesday to collaborating with foreign powers and will face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
This is the first case in which Beijing’s harsh national security law to silence opposition in mid-2020 has been applied to a media outlet.
The Apple Daily newspaper criticized Chinese power and supported the pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong in 2019.
The vehicle had to shut down in mid-2021 after its funds were frozen and several executives were arrested, including its founder Jimmy Lai, who is now on trial under national security law.
On Tuesday, four former editors and two former executives pleaded guilty before the Hong Kong Supreme Court to “act with foreign powers to endanger national security”.
The defendants who pleaded guilty on Tuesday include the newspaper’s former chief executive Cheung Kim-hung, deputy editor Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Law Wai-kwong, editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, and journalists Fung Wai-kong and Yeung Ching- . kee
Prosecutors accused them of using Apple Daily to spread content calling for foreign sanctions against China.
The six defendants have been in detention for nearly a year and a half, and they will only be sentenced at the end of the proceedings against Lai and the three companies affiliated with Apple Daily.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.