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Apple Daily, Hong Kong’s democratic tabloid founded by media mogul Jimmy Lai, will close on Saturday after freezing its assets for what critics said was a hammer blow to the city’s free press.
Next Digital, the parent company of the newspaper, said its final edition it will be printed on Saturday and its website will no longer be accessible shortly before midnight that night.
Apple Daily was known for its willingness to confront and criticize the government.
Hong Kong authorities have launched a crackdown on Chinese civilian and political life following pro-democracy protests that ravaged the city in 2019. This has included the imposition of a national security law that has severely reduced the ‘opposition.
An Apple Daily editorial writer named Li Ping was arrested Wednesday under the law. He was arrested days after authorities attacked the offices of Apple Daily and arrested five executives, including Ryan Law, its editor-in-chief. It was the first time the national security law was used against journalists.
Lai has already been jailed for separate crimes.
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