Hong Kong media company that resisted China’s control is shutting down

A Hong Kong media company that was a beacon of free speech in the country, regularly publishing blunt criticism of the Chinese government, announced on Sunday that it would be shutting down.

As Reuters reported, the company’s board of directors has resigned in order to facilitate the company’s liquidation. Next Digital is owned by imprisoned tycoon Jimmy Lai.

Next Digital was the owner of the pro-democracy Apple Daily news site before it closed down in June, following the arrest of five of its editors and executives under a new law passed last year.

As part of a national security investigation, Next Digital’s office was raided, its assets were frozen and its shares have been suspended from trading since June 17, Reuters reported.

Next Digital said that it hoped that the resignation of its board members would allow the Hong Kong government to approve payments to creditors and former staff. 

“We observe that the events affecting the company and its people following the invocation of the National Security Law occurred despite there having been no trials and no convictions,” Next Digital said. “Under this new law, a company can be forced into liquidation without the involvement of the courts.”

“As Apple Daily often observed, Hong Kong people have a collective memory of what life was like elsewhere when freedom of speech was denied: No other rights are safe,” it added.

After Apple Daily was closed in July, the U.S. joined 20 other countries in condemning Beijing’s forced closure of the newspaper.

“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,” the governments wrote.

“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,” they said.