The national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in 2020, poses a grave threat to journalism in the city, warned an international watchdog for press freedom on Tuesday.
On its website, Reporters Without Borders cited the imprisonment of 73-year-old media mogul Jimmy Lai the owner of pro-democratic newspaper Apple Daily, a recipient of its Press Freedom Prize as evidence of how the law has allowed Beijing to intervene directly in Hong Kong’s governance to punish what it regards as “crimes against the state.”
“Jimmy Lai had been arrested and charged under this law and is facing a possible life sentence,’’ said Reporters Without Borders in a statement.
Earlier, Lai was handed a 12-month prison sentence alongside several prominent ex-lawmakers for allegedly organising and participating in an unauthorised protest in August 2019.
The founding member of the Democratic Party, 82-year-old barrister, Martin Lee, received an 11-month jail sentence, suspended for 24 months.
On Thursday, Hong Kong marked its first “National Security Education Day” at schools, with the aim of promoting the sweeping law.
Police dressed in riot gear visited schools across the city to host a range of activities with students, who were photographed playing with toy guns and handling police weaponry.
Souvenirs of toy riot police holding warning flags, typical of those seen during the protests, were on display.
In its statement, the watchdog accused the government of leading an intimidation campaign against Radio Television Hong Kong, with the aim of restricting its editorial autonomy.
HK is ranked 80th on the world press freedom index, down from 18th place in 2002, while mainland China is ranked 177th on the list.