Kong's rights and freedoms. The spokesperson of European External Action Service said that this raid further demonstrated how the National Security Law was used to stifle freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Hong Kong. All existing rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people must be fully protected, including freedom of the press and the press. Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Katsunobu Kato called the closure of Apple Daily a "major setback" for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong and voiced "increasingly grave concerns" over the situation. Effects Closure of Apple Daily On 21 June, Apple Daily announced it would have to close unless the accounts were unfrozen, as it was unable to pay its staff or support operating costs. On 23 June, the newspaper said it would close "in view of staff members' safety" and the print run of 24 June would be its last. Apple Daily also said its digital version would go offline at 23:59 Hong Kong Time (UTC+8) on 23 June. Activists backed up the news articles from Apple Daily on various blockchain platforms to ensure the content was available and free from Chinese censorship. Subsequent arrests and charges against executives On the next day after the raid, Apple Daily editor-in-chief Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung were charged for colluding with foreign forces, and they both remanded in prison. Meanwhile, the three others (Chan Pui-man, Chow Tat-kuen and Cheun Chi-wai) were released on bail, while pending their further investigation by the police.Apple Daily editorialist "Li Ping" (Yeung Ching-kee) was arrested on 23 June “on suspicion of conspiring to collude with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security”, Fung Wai-kong, editor-in-chief of the English news section at Apple Daily, was arrested on 27 June at Hong Kong International Airport while attempting to flee the city. On 21 July, former executive director of now-closed Apple Daily'', Lam Man-chung, was arrested for conspiracy to colluding with foreign forces. On 22 July, the remaining four executives, Chan Pui-man, Lam Man-chung, Fung Wai-kwong and Yeung Ching-kee, were all charged for conspiracy to colluding with foreign forces. All of them had their bail denied while being detained at the police station, and they will appear at West Kowloon Courts on Thursday. Court proceedings In November 2022, more than a year after arrest, six former senior executives of the Apple Daily newspaper, Cheung