Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party has condemned the arrest of six current and former staff members at independent Hong Kong media outlet Stand News. The six face charges of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”.
The Democratic Progressive Party says the arrests are yet another instance of suppression of the Hong Kong media. The party says it condemns Beijing’s betrayal of its commitment to the idea of “one country, two systems” and Beijing’s strangling of Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy.
The party says the arrests show Beijing and Hong Kong authorities’ indifference toward growing international concern about the worsening situation in Hong Kong. It also says that the controversial Hong Kong national security law is once again being used to strangle freedom of speech in Hong Kong and to generate a chilling effect on media discussion.
The DPP says the arrests show that there is no room for freedom on any inch of land under Beijing’s administration, and that the idea of “one country, two systems” has become a joke. It says that, in addition to suppressing Hong Kong’s media and entertainment industries, Beijing has also made changes to Hong Kong’s legislature that allow only “patriots” to gain office, turning the body into a rubber stamp legislature.
The party says it will continue to join with the international community in supporting Hong Kongers in their struggle for freedom and democracy. It says it believes that the actions of Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities will bring about even graver consequences. The party is calling on the international community and all of Taiwanese society to continue following developments in Hong Kong and to severely condemn Beijing’s repression of Hong Kong’s political freedom.