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The Apple Daily parent company has been ordered by a Hong Kong court to be bankrupt
Justin Morgan December 20, 2021
A Hong Kong court on Wednesday ordered the dismissal of the parent company Apple Daily, facing another attack on a previous pro-democracy newspaper. The Apple Daily was forced to shut down earlier this year after its assets became frozen under a national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong to quell opposition. The owner, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and several executives have been arrested and charged with collaborating on the material and columns of the book.
In September, the Hong Kong government made a rare move to release the book's parent company, Next Digital Limited, saying it would be "in the public interest". Supreme Court Judge Jack Wong on Wednesday granted the government's request after a short non-competitive hearing by Next Digital. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
Lai, 74, and several Apple Daily executives face life in prison if convicted of allegations of collusion with foreign forces for finding out in favor of sanctions against China. Despite working prison terms already linked to his coming to democratic protests in recent years.
On Monday, he was sentenced to an additional 13 months in prison for finding a rebel last year in memory of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre – an event in which Hong Kong authorities banned public health and safety facilities. . There are questions over the future of Apple Daily's Taiwan publication, after Bloomberg reported that the service is strong for money and will close before the end of the year. Apple Daily Taiwan dismissed the report as "observation" and said it had no further comment.
Media outlets reported that the court-appointed liquidity for Next Digital had approached Apple Daily's Taiwanese unit to inquire about its assets. Authorities have moved to regain press freedom in Hong Kong as Beijing reorganized the city in its image, following widespread democratic declarations and frequent violence two years ago.
Earlier this month, the World Association of Journalists awarded its annual slim gift to Apple Daily staff and its founder Lai. The group hailed the document as "a symbol of democracy and public opposition" and said Lai was a critic of Beijing's opposition to Hong Kong. The award recognizes and demonstrates "the imprisonment of a publisher, the arrest of the editor-in-chief and his senior colleagues, the closure of a newsroom, and the closure of a media headline," organizers said.