Hong Kong pro-democracy paper publishes final edition

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s sole remaining pro-democracy newspaper published its last edition Thursday after five editors and executives were arrested and millions of dollars in its assets were frozen as part of China’s increasing crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous city.

The board of directors of Apple Daily parent company Next Media said in a statement Wednesday that the print and online editions would cease due to “the current circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong.”

The silencing of a prominent pro-democracy voice was the latest sign of China’s determination to exert greater control over the city long known for its freedoms after huge anti-government protests there in 2019. Since then, Beijing has imposed a strict national security law — used in the arrests of the newspaper employees — and revamped Hong Kong’s election laws to keep opposition voices out of the legislature.

Apple Daily was founded by tycoon Jimmy Lai in 1995 — just two years before Britain handed Hong Kong back to China — and initially was a tabloid known for celebrity gossip. But Lai also portrayed the paper as an advocate of democratic values and said it should “shine a light on snakes, insects, mice and ants in the dark,” according to the paper.

It grew into an outspoken voice for defending Hong Kong’s freedoms not found in mainland China, and in recent years it often criticized the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for limiting those freedoms and reneging on a promise to protect them for 50 years after the handover. While pro-democracy media outlets still exist online, it was the only print newspaper of its kind left in the city.

In an Instagram post on , the paper thanked readers.

“Even if the ending is not what we want, even if it’s difficult to let go, we need to continue living and keep the determination we have shared with Hong Kong people that has remained unchanged over 26 years,” Apple Daily wrote.