500 officers entered the premises of the Apple Daily newspaper office and declared it a crime scene on Thursday. Top editors and executives were arrested and journalistic materials were seized under the city’s national security law. CEO of Apple Daily, Cheung Kim Hung, COO Chow Tat Kuen, chief editor Ryan Law, the deputy chief editor and online editor were all arrested.
The arrested officials of the paper were accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. The arrests and seizures were made under the national security law, signed into law last year, that bans sedition, secession and subversion against Beijing. 18 million Hong Kong dollars in assets related to the paper have been frozen. The crackdown against the anti-Beijing tabloid is escalating.