Oliver Farry

Inserted 2 years ago

“It's hard to see things letting up. Media are being extra careful under the National Security Law but the arrests today, as many others have been, are under the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance, which is equally vague and wide-ranging. If the government wants to pursue anyone, they have ample tools at their disposal in these laws. And, much as foreign governments or media outlets might cry foul about it, there is ultimately little they can do. It's unclear whether other independent media will also be targeted - the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, for now, are more concerned about going after those, like Stand News, that publish in Chinese. But there will likely be a move against the Hong Kong Journalists Association. This has been coming for quite some time. Pro-Beijing media and some members of the government have been making noises about the HKJA having a bias against the government and of irregular membership practices. It's really not that hard to imagine the government banning it.”

Aljazeera

Foreign correspondent and writer in Hong Kong