Arrest of the editor of the Apple Daily, Ryan Law, Thursday, June 17 in Hong Kong. – ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP
Two officials of the pro-democracy Hong Kong daily Apple Daily were indicted on Friday under the National Security Law the day after the spectacular search in the editorial room of this newspaper critical of Beijing. The police announced, in a brief statement, the indictment of two people aged 47 and 59 for “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements with a view to endangering national security”.
TheApple Daily claimed the individuals were headline editor Ryan Law and chief executive Cheung Kim-hung. A total of five newspaper executives belonging to tycoon Jimmy Lai, currently in prison, were arrested on Thursday when 500 police officers searched the newsroom. Police said the three others still in custody were still being questioned and would be presented to a judge on Saturday morning.
This Friday, the daily wanted to display its combativeness in the newsstands with a front page of challenge to the pro-Beijing power: “We must continue”.