HONG KONG (AP) – The president of U.S.-backed Radio Free Asia said Friday that its Hong Kong bureau will be closed due to security concerns under a new national security law, deepening concerns about press freedom in the city. Stated.
RFA chairman Bei Huang said in a statement that while it would maintain its official media register, it would no longer have full-time staff in Hong Kong.
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“Hong Kong authorities’ actions, including calling the RFA a ‘foreign force,’ cast serious doubts on our ability to operate safely under Article 23,” Fang said.
Tourists are seen on surveillance camera visiting Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor on Monday, March 11, 2024. The president of US-owned Radio Free Asia said its Hong Kong bureau was closed due to security concerns under new national security laws. There are growing concerns about the city’s press freedom. RFA Chairman Bei Huang said in a statement on Friday, March 29, 2024, that while it will maintain its official media register, it will no longer have full-time staff in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
RFA’s move is widely seen as a reflection of the city’s narrowing of press freedom following the enactment of the National Security Ordinance, also known locally as the Section 23 Act.
Representative Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed concern about the closure of the RFA, saying the new law “only represents a significant escalation in efforts by Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to suppress freedom of speech and expression.” “Not,” he said. It also undermines press freedom and the public’s ability to obtain factual information. ”
Cedric Albiani, Asia-Pacific director for Reporters Without Borders, said the broadcaster’s withdrawal was “a result of the chilling effect applied to news organizations” by the new security law.
“We call on democracies to step up pressure on the Chinese authorities and ensure that press freedom is fully restored in China,” Albiani said.
Hong Kong was once seen as a bastion of press freedom in Asia, but much has changed since the Chinese government enacted a similar security law in 2020 following anti-government protests in 2019.
Since the introduction of the 2020 law, Apple Daily and Stand News, two local news outlets known for their critical reporting on the government, have been shut down following the arrest of executives, including Apple Daily’s publisher Jimmy Lai. was forced to.
Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index ranks Hong Kong 140th out of 180 countries and territories.
The new Homeland Security Act, passed through an expedited legislative process last week, expands the government’s powers to stamp out challenges to its governance.
The targets include espionage, disclosure of state secrets, and “collusion with outside forces” to commit illegal acts. Some crimes, such as treason and rioting, carry penalties of up to life in prison.
The bill has raised concerns among many journalists that it will further reduce press freedom. They fear that broad-based legislation will criminalize their daily work.
RFA, which receives funding from the US Congress through the US Agency for Global Media, has recently come under attack from the Hong Kong government. Police wrote to RFA in January, citing “false statements” by wanted activist Ted Hui and accusing them of tainting police power.
Hui, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, is one of several overseas-based activists for whom police have offered a reward of HK$1 million (about $128,000) for information leading to his arrest. He is suspected of asking foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.
Hong Kong’s Security Minister Chris Tan said in February that some of the comments about the new bill cited in the RFA report were “false” and “false”.
He did not elaborate on the comments or reports, but said some provisions of the law suggested they were targeted at the media. He argued that the bill has protections for the media.
Asked whether RFA’s activities were considered “external interference” or “espionage”, Mr Tan said violations of the law should be determined on a case-by-case basis. If someone deliberately used false information to defame the government’s legislative work, it would be clear to Hong Kongers that such “external forces” and fugitives who want to jeopardize Hong Kong’s security have no intention. “We need to make it clear,” he said.
The Hong Kong government declined on Friday to comment on the operational decisions of individual organizations. But in an emailed response, it condemned “all threatening and defamatory statements” against the new law.
He said many other countries also have security laws. “It is grossly biased, if not outrageous, to single out Hong Kong and suggest that journalists only experience concerns when working here, but not in other countries. ,” the paper said.
The government argued that the new law only targets a very small number of people who pose a threat to national security and that most journalists would not unknowingly break the law.
Fan said RFA’s Hong Kong bureau has operated as a private news organization since its inception in 1996, and its editorial independence is protected by a firewall approved by the U.S. Congress.
“This reorganization means RFA will move to using a different journalistic model designed specifically for closed media environments,” she said.
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But she assured RFA viewers in Hong Kong and mainland China that its content “will continue without interruption.”
Hong Kong authorities have not announced any arrests under the new law. But the government on Wednesday accused the BBC of “grossly misleading reporting” about activists who are prevented from receiving reduced sentences or early release under the law. Mr Tan also wrote a letter condemning the New York Times opinion piece.
Over the past few months, articles in other international media outlets, including the Washington Post and the Times, have also been criticized by officials.
