Fearing for Staff Safety, Citizen News Shuts Down

Chief editor Daisy Li (left) and Chris Yeung speak to media

Today senior executives of Citizen News explained to the media why they were closing abruptly, admitting it was because of what happened to Stand News on December 29 when seven people related to the news portal were arrested, which led to its immediate demise.

They said they could no longer guarantee their staff's safety, as they did not know where the red lines were being drawn.

Citizen News shut down effectively today

Choking back tears, chief writer Chris Yeung Kin-hing said: "We can't work in a safe environment. Reporters are also human and have their families and friends too. Journalists don't want to be landed in this dilemma simply because of their work."

Yeung, who is the former chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, said the closure was because of what happened to Stand News.

"The city's media has been embroiled in a political storm with many media outlets or the overall media being deemed as the target of a shake-up," he said.

"From the Stand News incident, we see that many articles and reports are deemed as seditious. We are worried that we may have violated the law without our knowledge."

He added: "Hong Kong is really facing a great change in many aspects, about how to understand press freedom, and where to draw the line... and now many things about the law and law enforcement and so on have become vague."

Yeung said as journalists could be exposed to the threat of prosecution, the outlet had no other choice but to close.

Yeung said no authorities contacted them

"We can't assess how long such a situation would linger. It's difficult to carry on," he said. "We have no choice but to cease operations."

During the announcement, Yeung said they were not contacted by the national security police regarding Citizen News' reporting, though some commentators have warned some media outlets like Stand News and Citizen News were targets. 

Citizen News started five years ago on January 1, 2017 with 10 people and in the last five years grew to dozens of people, absorbing those who left RTHK or i-Cable, or Apple Daily. And now it has let go 40 journalists.

Meanwhile, Ip Iam-chong, one of the co-founders of the online news outlets Inmediahk, told a radio show there had recently been an intensification of the chilling effect on the media from a government campaign initially targeting the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper.

"When we first started, we thought we wouldn't last long, not because of political pressure, but because of finances," Ip said. "Nowadays any media that is not considered establishment will keep receiving threats or warnings to shut down."

Over 200 police raided Stand News last week

He feared the continued closure of media outlets would mean that more rumours, mostly regarding the government, would be able to spread unchecked on the internet.

Even this afternoon there were rumours of the government considering imposing a lockdown on Hong Kong to stop the spread of the Omicron variant; eventually the government did issue a press release to deny the rumour, but with trust in the authorities so low, does anyone believe it?

They would have turned to online outlets like Stand News and Citizen News to get the facts. But now they have to turn elsewhere... and is it a place they trust?

This is the state of press freedom in Hong Kong, and more importantly freedom of information in the city. 

Lee Cheuk-yan Stands by His Beliefs Despite Jail

Lee says he will never forget what happened in Beijing 1989

There are numerous court cases going on simultaneously, making people lose track of who is on trial, who has been convicted and who is in jail, though most people related to the anti-government protests or the national security law are remanded in custody.

One of them is former lawmaker and chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China Lee Cheuk-yan, who pleaded guilty to inciting others to join an unauthorized assembly at Victoria Park for the June 4 candlelight vigil.

Some people defied the police to hold a vigil

Today he gave an emotional mitigating speech in court to explain why he continued to mark the anniversary.

He explained the alliance was set up to support the democratic movement in Beijing, where students gathered in Tiananmen Square. A group of them arrived on May 30, 1989, but a few days later on June 4, he says he "heard incessant gunshots and reports that the tanks were entering, bloodily crushing protesters in Chang'an Avenue".

The next morning he recalled seeing the casualties carted away. "We had no idea how many were hurt and killed. It was a night of immense devastation that I can never forget," he wrote.

Lee tried to board a plane going back to Hong Kong, but was stopped by the police and interrogated for three days. Luckily, he says, Hongkongers petitioned for his release and he came back on June 8.

Lee was in Beijing when the massacre happened 

"I thanked God in my prayers, dedicated myself to be His instrument of Justice, and committed my life to the struggle for democracy to Hong Kong and China. This is my pledge to the people of Hong Kong who rescued me and the people of Beijing who implored us to tell the truth of what happened in the Square to the world. Since then I have always engaged in the mission of the Hong Kong Alliance and attended the June Fourth candlelight vigil every year until this. In prison I continued to honour their memory by fasting for a day and by a lit match."

Later in the speech he points out that the authorities have threatened freedom of expression and assembly, and that they are depriving inmates the right to access to information, such as books, magazines and daily necessities. 

He says HK people will not forget 1989

He also observes the irony in the Hong Kong police upholding Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violent struggle, when he was actually a pioneer in civil disobedience.

"If the Police endorses the non-violent struggle led by Gandhi, why should it not respect the right of the people of Hong Kong to honour the memory of the June Fourth Massacre through a peaceful, non-violent assembly?" he asks.

Finally Lee ends his speech, saying: "If I must go to jail to affirm my will, then so be it." Applause and cheers were heard in the courtroom.

No Access to Freedom of Information Threatens Press Freedom

Less freedom to access information means less press freedom

Freedom of the press is being seriously threatened in Hong Kong with the government making it harder for reporters to get access to public information to hold individuals, organizations and companies accountable.

The media uses public records to find out the ownership of cars, properties, companies and even information of executives of public companies in order to determine who is responsible for certain actions or decisions, and now the government is proposing to shield these people.

In a proposal submitted to the Legislative Council on Monday, the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau said companies should be first given the option to withhold information, such as residential address and full identification numbers of directors and secretaries.

Choy was arrested for her investigative work

Then, from October 2022, all company documents submitted to the registry that contains "protected information",  such as residential addresses, can be hidden from public view.

The only people who can have access to this information are the executives themselves, their companies, officials and members of "public organizations".

By late 2023, all companies will be able to apply to withhold "protected information" from the registry.

The government is planning to submit this legislation to Legco in May.

Journalists use this information to do investigative stories, and they can verify hunches or tips by going through public records. 

After the July 21, 2019 attacks in Yuen Long, RTHK producer Bao Choy Yuk-ling and the investigative team went through the tons of video clips of the violent incident and found the alleged attackers rode in vehicles that trace back to community leaders in the New Territories.

So she went to the car registry to request information on the owners of those vehicles.

Choy traced the ownership of the van in 2019

These kinds of searches are considered routine for journalists, but not this time.

In November 2020 Choy was arrested on suspicion of making false statements under the Road Traffic Ordinance when requesting information on the ownership of the vehicles.

That is an attack on press freedom, and now this proposal by the government -- not by companies or organizations -- will further hinder the media's efforts to find out what is going on, who is responsible and connections between people.

This will prevent the media from finding out information of executives of public companies that are supposed to be transparent and accountable to shareholders.

It will also make it harder for the media to find corruption, to trace the movement of money, to find how much property a Chinese official or his offspring and relatives own in Hong Kong, what shell companies they hold and the vehicles they own.

As a result the Hong Kong Journalists Association is strongly opposed to the government's proposal, calling for its immediate withdrawal.

HKJA's Cheng says people have right to know

The association said the government should instead enact a freedom of information law -- as well as an archives law -- to protect the people's right to know.

HKJA also points out the proposal has no clause to allow journalists to find out information in a transparent way, and adds this kind of research is not just limited to the media, but also academics and investors doing research on public companies and want to know if it is worth investing in or not. This affects the free flow of information.

Hong Kong's financial system is based not only on rule of law, but also freedom of information and freedom of the press.

When both these are under threat, who will continue to feel comfortable in investing in Hong Kong if they cannot find out the information they need to make an informed decision?

The city government is shooting itself in the foot by doing this, but it is only following the lead of the mainland to become more opaque. And this will only lead to the fall of Hong Kong as a financial hub. The dismantling of institutions here continues its fast pace in 2021.