Biden Decries Beijing’s ‘Intensifying Suppression’ in Hong Kong After Apple Daily Closure
President Joe Biden criticized Beijing’s “intensifying repression” in Hong Kong after the forced closure of Apple Daily, a major pro-democracy newspaper. “It is a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” Biden said in a June 24 statement, hours after the publication’s formal closure. After suffering a massive police raid […]
President Joe Biden criticized Beijing's “intensifying repression” in Hong Kong after the forced closure of Apple Daily, a major pro-democracy newspaper. “It is a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” Biden said in a June 24 statement, hours after the publication's formal closure. After suffering a massive police raid a week earlier and having their funds frozen by the Hong Kong government, the outlet—one of the few independent media sources in the city—printed its final edition on June 24, distributing 1 million copies. Its website, social media accounts, and mobile app are no longer accessible. The paper had said that it made the decision over their staff’s safety and manpower considerations. Biden hailed Apple Daily as “a much-needed bastion of independent journalism in Hong Kong,” saying that people "in Hong Kong have the right to freedom of the press." “Beijing must stop targeting the ...
