Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily has decided that it will print its final edition on Thursday after authorities froze its assets using a national security law, silencing the media outlet that was critical of Beijing.
The newspaper’s decision is the latest blow to Hong Kong’s freedoms and will deepen unease over whether the city can remain a media hub as Beijing seeks to stamp out dissent.
The paper’s journalists on Wednesday said they plan to print a million copies overnight - a staggering number given Hong Kong’s 7.5mn population.
Apple Daily’s owner Jimmy Lai, currently in jail for attending pro-democracy protests, was among the first to be charged under the law after its imposition last year. The final chapter of the 26-year-old paper was written over the last week when authorities raided the newsroom, arrested senior executives and froze its assets.