Hong Kong online portal Citizen News to shut down on Tuesday
- Abrupt announcement comes on the heels of closure of another news website, Stand News, last Wednesday
- Citizen News says it is taking the step to ensure safety of employees
Hong Kong online news portal Citizen News has revealed it will cease operations from Tuesday to “ensure everyone is safe in this time of crisis”.
The abrupt announcement came hot on the heels of an operation last Wednesday, in which national security police scooped up seven people who worked at, or were linked to, news portal Stand News for allegedly publishing seditious content and stirring up hatred against the government.
Stand News dismissed all its staff and shut down on the same day, but its acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-tung, 34, and his predecessor Chung Pui-kuen, 52, were eventually charged with conspiracy to publish seditious publications and subsequently denied bail.
Citizen News said it would halt its operations on Tuesday and stop updating the website, which would be shut down after “a period of time”, adding that its decision was to ensure the safety of its employees.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Sunday night, the news portal said it had always loved Hong Kong, but what it was facing these days was no longer merely “the pounding of wind and rain” but “the attack by tornadoes and massive waves”.
“Unfortunately, the changes in society in the past two years and the deterioration of the environment for media has made it impossible for us to achieve our belief without worries,” it said.
“Being at the eye of the storm, our little boat is in a tremendously rough sea. We have to ensure everyone is safe on this boat in this time of crisis.”
Last week, police froze HK$61 million (US$7.8 million) of Stand News’ assets, as it became the second news outlet popular among opposition activists and supporters to face accusations of promoting seditious material.