Apple Daily editor, CEO denied bail in Hong Kong
Send a link to a friend
[June 19, 2021]
By Jessie Pang
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Two executives of Hong
Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, charged under a national
security law, were denied bail on Saturday in a case that has drawn
international condemnation and stoked fears over media freedoms in the
financial hub.
Editor-in-chief Ryan Law 47 and chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung
59 were among five Apple Daily executives arrested on Thursday when 500
police also raided the outlet's newsroom, which authorities described as
a "crime scene."
Police said on Thursday dozens of the newspaper's articles were
suspected of violating the national security law. It was the first case
in which authorities have cited media articles as potentially violating
the contentious legislation.
Law and Cheung, who are charged with "collusion with a foreign country
or with external elements to endanger national security" appeared at the
West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Saturday and were denied bail by
Judge Victor So.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jun/19/images/ads/current/graue_sda_042021.png)
They will next appear in court on August 13.
The pair are accused of colluding with Apple Daily owner and staunch
Beijing critic Jimmy Lai between July 1 2020 and April 3 April 2021 to
request a foreign country, person or organisation "to impose sanctions
or blockade or engage in other hostile activities against the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region or the People's Republic of China,"
according to a charge sheet.
The National Security Law came into force in Hong Kong just before
midnight on June 30, 2020.
Judge So said Law and Cheung were denied bail because there was
insufficient evidence to believe they would not endanger national
security.
Under the security law, the onus is on defendants to prove they will not
pose a security threat if released on bail.
As part of their bail application, Law and Cheung had offered to resign
their roles at Apple Daily, not speak to media and foreign politicians
and pay cash bail - HK$3 million ($386,463.47)for Cheung and up to
HK$200,000 for Law.
Three companies related to Apple Daily that are also being prosecuted
for collusion with a foreign country appointed people to represent them
in court. Authorities have frozen HK$18 million ($2.32 million) of the
companies' assets.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/061921PIX/news_n59.jpg)
Crowds gathered outside a Hong Kong court early on Saturday ahead of
a hearing for two executives of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily
charged under the city's sweeping national security law, in a case
that has drawn international condemnation. Libby Hogan reports.
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
The other three executives arrested on Thursday,
Chief Operating Officer Chow Tat-kuen, Deputy Chief Editor Chan
Puiman and Chief Executive Editor Cheung Chi-wai, were released on
bail late on Friday, according to Apple Daily.
"We will still publish the newspaper tomorrow. We will try our best
to keep running," said Chan, who attended Saturday's hearing and was
speaking outside the court after bail had been denied.
Earlier on Saturday, crowds had gathered outside the court ahead of
the hearing, some holding yellow umbrellas or wearing Apple Daily
T-shirts saying, "No fear, fight on."
The National Security Law punishes what Beijing broadly refers to as
secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces
with up to life in prison.
The arrests and scale of the Apple Daily raid have been criticised
by Western nations, global rights groups, press associations and the
chief U.N. spokesperson for human rights.
Apple Daily and its listed publisher Next Digital have come under
increasing pressure since Lai was arrested last year under the
legislation.
Lai, whose assets have been frozen under the security law, is
already in jail for taking part in unauthorised assemblies and
awaiting trial in his national security case.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/ldn_business_directory_small2_2016.png)
As investigations into Apple Daily and its senior executives ramp
up, some employees and observers have expressed deepening concern
over the newspaper's future.
($1 = 7.7627 Hong Kong dollars)
(Reporting By Jessie Pang; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing
by Alun John, Shri Navaratnam and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |