
With Apple Daily Closed, Media Question Security Law’s Reach
Voice of America
BANGKOK - With Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy newspaper gone, questions remain about the future of press freedom in the city.
Apple Daily’s publisher said that with founder Jimmy Lai in prison, five executives arrested under the national security law and its financial assets frozen, it was impossible to continue. The closure led to international condemnation, including from U.S. President Joe Biden who said Thursday, “Beijing must stop targeting the independent press.” But as the million-copy final edition sold out, media analysts said the loss of Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy newspaper could impact the press scene and how journalists approach reporting on some issues.
Local officials and navy personnel attend a joint Iranian, Russian and Chinese military drill in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 12, 2025. (Iranian Army Office via AFP) Chinese navy troops attending a joint naval drill with Iran and Russia stand on the deck of their warship in an official arrival ceremony at Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 11, 2025.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he arrives for Mauritius' 57th National Day celebrations at the Champ De Mars, Port Louis, Mauritius, March 12, 2025. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and his Mauritius counterpart Navin Ramgoolam pay homage after laying a wreath at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden during his State visit, in Pamplemousses, Mauritius, March 11, 2025. FILE - Sailors walk on the deck of the INS Imphal, a stealth guided-missile destroyer, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Dec. 22, 2023.

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