#CCP has recently driven a #BBC reporter out of #China. "As my family scrambled to the airport - late and unprepared from the last-minute packing - we were watched outside our home by plainclothes police, who then followed us to the airport and tailed us through check-in," said John Sudworth. There is absolutely no concept of #PressFreedom in their minds and we should lose the hope that they would improve.
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#freedomofpress #English #diyms

Again, #CCP's ambition extends far beyond #HongKong, #Taiwan, it aims at the dominating global politics. #HK is an example of how fast and ugly things will crumble under #Beijing's orders, the world should not take their freedom and rights for granted but keep their eyes open to threats.
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#BaoChoy #ChoyYukling #PressFreedom #EuropeanUnion #EU #freedomofpress #YuenLong #English #diyms

We’d like to say a big thank you to journalists in #HongKong and #China still striving to get the news out there despite #CCP draconian rule. 32 years ago, students in #Beijing begged foreign journalists to get their stories on #TiananmenSquare out there because they couldn’t. More than 3 decades have passed, #China has not democratised under CCP’s rule. We should shed the illusion that they will change!
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#worldpressfreedomday #worldpressfreedomday2021 #pressfreedom #journalist #freedomofpress #english #meme #diyms

#Taiwan is more than just a pawn in #CCP’s politics!
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#China #news #taiwanplus #freedomofpress

#CCP
Crackdown on Stand News is China's First Step in Controlling the World's Narrative, says Former #NextDigital Director

The day after Stand News was forced to shut down by Hong Kong Police, Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC) held a rapid response virtual briefing on December 30, 2021, in which the speakers urged the international community to closely monitor the developing situation.

Not only is freedom of press under attack in Hong Kong, they said, the incident also signifies important future challenges, such as the possibility of China manipulating the world in the future.

The invited speakers were #ThomasKellogg, executive director of the Center for Asian Law at Georgetown University; and #MarkClifford, former independent non-executive director of Next Digital.

As a former director of Next Media, Clifford saw firsthand the government's oppression against Apple Daily, which began even before the National Security Law (#NSL) took effect on June 30, 2020. The crackdown against Stand News had been rumored to be coming for some time; even so, when it finally became reality, Clifford felt it deeply.

"What's happening at Stand News is tragic," Clifford said, "Perhaps not a complete surprise, because we have seen what happened at Apple Daily. It's extraordinary when you're on the other end of state power - unchecked state power. In a city like Hong Kong, it's hard to believe."

The arrests and forced closure of Stand News happened soon after the conclusion of the legislative elections. Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang had twice written to the Wall Street Journal to criticize their reporting of the Hong Kong Elections, even calling its editorials "sickening".

Clifford said that this had not been a coincidence; rather, it reflects the Chinese Communist Party's ambitions to control the world's narrative.

Source: VOA Chinese #Dec30
https://www.voachinese.com/a/experts-analysis-on-hong-kong-standard-news-forced-closure-20211230/6376727.html

Video of the HKDC Rapid Response Virtual Briefing:
https://www.facebook.com/hkdc.us/videos/958932114740331/

#StandNewsCrackdown #NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfPress #Media #PoliticalProsecution