Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Denies Claims Of Endangered Press Freedom: I Can't Accept That

Pemipin Hong Kong Carrie Lam. (Wikimedia Commons/Iris Tong/VOA)

JAKARTA - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she could not accept the assessment of press freedom in the city as endangered, just days after police raided an online media outlet and arrested seven people, including a senior editor.

Lam was speaking at a weekly news conference as another independent online outlet, Citizen News, suspended operations in the face of what it described as a "deteriorating" media environment in the former British-ruled Chinese colony.

"This morning I read the news about, because of the closure of online media, press freedom in Hong Kong is endangered. I cannot accept such accusations," Lam stressed, adding that nothing is more important than the rule of law.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise that broad individual rights, including freedom of the press, would be protected. But rights groups and some Western governments say freedoms have been eroding, particularly since Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.

The Hong Kong government has repeatedly denied targeting the media and restricting freedoms in the global financial hub. Meanwhile, China says rights advocacy is being used as an attempt to disrupt Hong Kong's progress after a national security law restored stability.

Security officers raided Stand News' online media office last week, froze its assets, and arrested seven senior editors, including a former board member. Two editors have been charged with sedition.

Lam has hit back at foreign governments demanding the release of the seven people, saying such a move would be against the rule of law of the former British colony.

The police operation against Stand News came a day after Hong Kong prosecutors filed additional charges of sedition against jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 74, of the now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.

On Monday, online media Citizen News said its decision to suspend operations from Tuesday was prompted by the shutdown and arrests at the News Stand and to ensure the safety of its staff.