Hong Kong authorities insist newsroom raids have ‘nothing to do with media work’

More than 200 police officers raided the offices of Stand News on Wednesday, seizing journalistic materials and arresting current and former senior staff members associated with the independent news website. Among the seven was Cantopop star andSince Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in Hong Kong last year, pro-democracy groups have dissolved, activists and journalists have been arrested, and the long-standing pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has shut down.”Journalism is not sedition,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement on Wednesday, urging authorities to release those arrested. “Freedom of expression, including media freedom, and access to information provided by an independent media are critical to prosperous and secure societies.””By silencing independent media, PRC and local authorities undermine Hong Kong’s credibility and viability,” he continued, using an acronym referring to the People’s Republic of China. EU spokesperson Peter Stano also posted a tweet criticizing the arrests and raid as proof of “further deterioration” of press freedoms in Hong Kong. “Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are central to the Basic Law and the ‘1 country 2 systems’ principle,” he said, referring to the city’s mini-constitution and the arrangement which had given Hong Kong its semi-autonomous status.Other governments, including Canada and Taiwan, have also denounced the arrests.”We are alarmed by continued crackdown on civic space, [including] today’s arrest of 6 media workers at Stand News,” said the UN Human Rights Office in a statement. “We urge the authorities to ensure that further proceedings fully respect rights to freedom of information, expression & association, as well as due process.”Lam alluded to those responses to the crackdown in her statement Thursday, adding: “Western media organizations and foreign governments are making comments without understanding Hong Kong’s law and all the evidence.”In a press statement Thursday, the city’s government also maintained that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are protected under law. “However, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are not absolute,” the statement read. “According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, such freedoms can be restricted for reasons including protection of national security. We reiterate that no one is above the law.”