News stand closed in Hong Kong: "Another blow to press freedom"

Patrick Lam, the editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong news site Stand News, is arrested by police in Hong Kong on December 29, 2021. AP - Vincent Yu

Text by: Martin Chabal

6 mins

The Hong Kong news site was one of the last openly pro-democracy media outlets.

The arrest of many members of the editorial staff and the chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association further consolidates the People's dominance over the Special Administrative Region.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan, research director at the CNRS on a long-term mission in Hong Kong, is worried about Beijing's grip on all the instruments useful to the opposition to criticize power. 

Advertising

Read more

What does this new turn of the screw by the pro-Beijing regime against the independent press mean with these searches and arrests in the editorial staff of the stand News site? 

Jean-Pierre Cabestan:

What has just happened in Hong Kong is a new attack on public freedoms and on what remains of democracy and pluralism of the press in Hong Kong.

Sadly, this is just one more sign of the city taking control and bringing it under control.

Once again, this is a sign of the marginalization of all force and all current of critical thought towards the Communist Party.

We can see that the objective is to reduce the distance between mainland China and Hong Kong and transform it into a Chinese city like any other. 

► 

Is there any hope for an independent press in the region? 

A few months ago, the

newspaper

was already dismantled.

Its officials were imprisoned, including

, the boss of this media.

And there, with the disappearance of Stand News, it is an additional blow against the freedom of the press.

There isn't much media pluralism left in Hong Kong.

The electronic media are all controlled by power.

As for the written media, they are all very close to the authorities.

The

which publishes its articles in English, is controlled and owned by the Alibaba Group.

And then, the only newspaper in Chinese which remains more or less autonomous, it is the 

but we can fear that the pluralism of this newspaper will be reduced given what happened this Wednesday, December 29.  

What we can add is that by attacking Stand News, the authorities and the police also indirectly attacked the Hong Kong Journalists Association, which is one of the targets of the government. Communist.

I'm not giving this association much chance of survival after this blow to Stand News.

Ronson Chan, the organization's president, was arrested on Wednesday.

He was also deputy editor-in-chief of this news site.

It is clear that the objective of Beijing, the liaison office and [the Hong Kong chief executive] Carrie Lam is to dismantle this association of journalists.

It is a key organization that strives to protect press pluralism and the independence of journalists.  

Who could be next on the pro-Beijing government's list?

The problem with Stand News is that it was a medium in Chinese.

That's why he was in the crosshairs of power.

But there is still a digital medium in English: Hong Kong Free Press, which has managed to survive until now.

It has the advantage, so to speak, of being broadcast in English and therefore of being read only by a small part of the inhabitants.

We can still fear for its future ... It will be more and more difficult to have an independent press in Hong Kong. 

What does the ruling power hold against them? 

The pretexts or the reasons invoked by the power, it is " 

 ", which is prohibited by the law of national security.

For the authorities, between criticism and hatred of power, the distinction is extremely fine.

Calling for democracy is now taboo in Hong Kong.

We saw this very recently with the unbolting of the pillar of shame, this statue in tribute to the victims of Tiananmen on loan to the University of Hong Kong by a Danish sculptor. 

► 

Could the ruling power target foreign media? 

There are already foreign journalists who have seen their visas questioned or not renewed.

I think that the status of foreign journalists in Hong Kong will approach that in force in mainland China.

They will be subjected to pressure and intimidation if they become too critical of power.

As in all authoritarian countries, one can fear that it will be difficult to exercise the profession of journalist.  

What is left as an option for those who oppose the pro-Beijing government? 

Not much.

There are NGOs, but they must stay away from politics.

As soon as you enter this sphere, it becomes dangerous.

Unless one is in favor of the Communist Party ... What strikes me is the impossibility and inability of Hong Kong society to react and protest against what has just happened.

This is not very surprising given the risks that any form of protest or public opposition could take.

We must not forget that there are also a lot of people who support the power.

For very simple reasons: they depend on mainland China for their business and prosperity, and they have no interest in challenging the new order.  

► 

In mid-December, 70% of the inhabitants did not go to vote in the legislative elections.

All that remains then is abstention during the elections to show their discontent?

Abstention was the best way to express their opposition to the new forms of elections, which are obviously rigged.

These are elections organized by the liaison office where only “

”

candidates 

, that is to say favorable to the Communist Party, can stand.  

I believe that abstention is a form of boycott of these elections.

But will China and Beijing draw the necessary conclusions?

I do not think so.

They are convinced that this recovery is in the interests of Hong Kong.

In any case, it is in the interests of the Communist Party.  

► 

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Hong Kong

• China

• Freedom of press

• Media