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Tag: Hong Kong protests

  • Hong Kong pro-democracy radio closes, cites ‘bad political scenario’

    Through Reuters: Hong Kong’s pro-democracy on-line Voters’ Radio station will stop operations on Friday owing to what its founder described as a “bad” political scenario and the freezing of its checking account.

    Introduced in 2005 by means of veteran activist Tsang Family-shing, the Cantonese-language broadcaster won a gradual following for its hard-hitting talkshows that had been vital of government, in addition to its years-long marketing campaign for press freedom.

    Its closure represents an additional erosion of Hong Kong’s media range, critics say, with a China-imposed nationwide safety legislation having already resulted in the shutting of different liberal shops together with the Apple Day by day newspaper and Stand Information.

    “Voters’ Radio had no selection however to droop broadcasting,” Tsang stated in a Fb put up, mentioning expanding pressures within the former British colony as government clamped down on dissent and arrested activists following a pro-democracy motion in 2019 that drew tens of millions onto the streets.

    ALSO READ | Felony exodus in Hong Kong: Liberal attorneys flee after going through Chinese language threats

    “Confronted with a cliff-like alternate within the political scenario, the crimson line is all over the place, the placement is bad, and it’s tricky to ask visitors to the programme,” Tsang wrote.

    Tsang additionally stated his radio station’s checking account have been frozen, with out giving specifics.

    “The hire can simplest be paid till August,” he stated.

    MEDIA FREEDOM IN HONG KONG

    Hong Kong government have again and again stated that media freedoms are revered and enshrined in town rules. The federal government denies cracking down on dissent however has stated the protests in 2019 threatened the steadiness upon which the monetary hub’s financial good fortune relies.

    Media rights staff Journalists With out Borders (RSF), ranked Hong Kong a hundred and fortieth out of 180 in its an annual international media freedom index this yr, down from 73 earlier than the nationwide safety legislation was once enacted in 2020.

    ALSO READ | Hong Kong political sketch operating since 1983 axed after executive drive, claims cartoonist

    CITIZENS’ RADIO

    “For almost twenty years, Voters’ Radio has been an emblematic contributor to Hong Kong’s unbiased broadcasting panorama and its shutdown can be an irreplaceable loss for media range,” the click freedom staff’s East Asia director, Cédric Alviani, stated in a remark.

    Voters’ Radio submitted an utility for a broadcasting licence in 2005 but it surely was once by no means granted. It was once later raided by means of the Administrative center of the Communications Authority (OFCA) for allegedly the use of an unlawful radio transmitter for FM broadcasting, however the station persisted to broadcast on-line.

    In 2019, 4 masked males wielding bats and hammers barged in to the radio station after smashing via its glass door. No arrest had been made.

  • China censors ‘Beijing’ on social media after anti-Xi Jinping protest in capital

    After anti-Xi-Jinping protests erupted in China’s capital, the rustic censored the phrase ‘Beijing’ on social media. The protest comes simply forward of the 20 th Celebration Congress, scheduled for October 16.

    Beijing government got rid of uncommon protest banners from an overpass in town (Picture: Twitter)

    By way of India As of late Internet Table: The uncommon public protests in opposition to Chinese language president Xi Jinping has despatched China’s stringent on-line censorship into overdrive. Chinese language government have stepped into prime equipment to clean the web of proof of a unprecedented protest in Bejing that noticed massive banners on a flyover, calling for boycotts and the elimination of Xi Jinping.

    In an excessive step, Chinese language censors have limited the quest time for ‘Beijing’ on social media after a unprecedented public denouncement of Xi Jinping, reviews counsel. As persons are status up in opposition to China’s strict Covid 0 coverage of lockdowns and mass checking out, the phrase ‘Beijing’ was once placed on China’s Censorship blacklist, reviews stated.

    Two massive banners have been unfurled at the Sitong Bridge in Beijing, calling for the elimination of Xi Jinping. The banner learn, “Say no to Covid take a look at, sure to meals. No to lockdown, sure to freedom. No to lies, sure to dignity. No to cultural revolution, sure to reform. No to nice chief, sure to vote. Don’t be a slave, be a citizen.” Pictures and movies on social media additionally confirmed plumes of smoke billowing from the bridge over a significant thoroughfare within the Haidian district of the capital, The Mother or father reported.

    今天北京海淀中电信息大厦附近的桥惊现“ååŠ¨æ ‡è¯­”：“ä¸è¦æ ¸é…¸è¦åƒé¥­ï¼Œä¸è¦å°æŽ§è¦è‡ªç”±ï¼Œä¸è¦è°Žè¨€è¦å°Šä¸¥ï¼Œä¸è¦æ–‡é©è¦æ”¹é©ï¼Œä¸è¦é¢†è¢–è¦é€‰ç¥¨ï¼Œä¸åšå¥´æ‰åšå…¬æ°‘”。值此喜迎二十大之际，要被作为要案大案追查的。 percent.twitter.com/t2jnJaJkTD
    — 方舟子 (@fangshimin) October 13, 2022

    At a typical information briefing in Beijing on Friday, Chinese language Overseas Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated she was once now not conscious about the protest.

    ALSO READ | ‘Are you able to censor all?’ Uncommon public protest in opposition to Xi Jinping in Beijing triggers China’s firewall

    WORDS CENSORED IN CHINA

    The protest straight away invited Chinese language censorship with seek for “Sitong Bridge,” the website of the protest censored. Key phrases together with “Beijing,” “Haidian,” “warrior,” “courageous guy,” or even “braveness” have been limited on Weibo, a Twitter-like platform in China, CNN reported.

    Posts containing phrases comparable to ‘Beijing, ‘bridge’, or ‘Haidian’ have been strictly managed and a music that shared the identify of the bridge was once taken down from streaming gadgets, AP reported. Some Twitter customers additionally complained that their accounts have been disabled on every other primary Chinese language platform, WeChat, once they shared pictures of the protest.

    The protest comes simply forward of the 20 th Celebration Congress, scheduled for October 16. On the key assembly, Xi Jinping is predicted to increase his rule for every other time period. Xi Jinping, who got here to energy in 2012, is predicted to obtain a 3rd five-year time period as celebration chief on the finish of the congress.

    There is not any transparent thought concerning the id of the protester. Whilst some web customers claimed to have known the protester, others shared pictures presupposed to be of the protester at the bridge, disguised in a development helmet and blouse, as consistent with a record through the Mother or father.

    In line with Fang Zhouzi, a US-based Chinese language science author, the similar slogans displayed at the bridge was once previous posted to his ResearchGate account through the person believed to be the protester. Alternatively, the Chinese language police is but to unlock any data at the id of the protestor.

    (With company inputs)

    ALSO READ | ‘No to nice chief, sure to vote’: Uncommon protest banner hung up in Beijing criticising Communist management

  • Hong Kong police bail Catholic cardinal arrested on nationwide safety fee

    Cardinal Joseph Zen, one of the crucial senior Catholic clerics in Asia, and 3 others who helped run a now-disbanded Hong Kong fund for protesters had been arrested on fees of “collusion with international forces,” and later launched on bail.

    Zen, a 90-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong, used to be wondered for a number of hours on Wednesday on the Chai Wan Police Station on the subject of his church place of abode, sooner than being launched on police bail. The silver-haired Zen, dressed in a white clerical collar, left with out making any remark to the media.

    Native police stated in a observation that the nationwide safety division of the police drive had arrested two males and two girls, starting from 45 to 90 years outdated for “collusion with international forces” on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    Police stated they had been suspected of inquiring for international sanctions. All had been launched on bail with their passports confiscated below the nationwide safety legislation, police stated.

    A criminal supply accustomed to the topic had previous instructed Reuters that 5 folks were arrested in reference to the case: Zen; senior barrister Margaret Ng, 74; activist and pa singer Denise Ho; former lawmaker Cyd Ho; and previous educational Hui Po-keung.

    Zen has lengthy been an suggest of democratic reasons in Hong Kong and mainland China, and has spoken out towards China’s rising authoritarianism below President Xi Jinping, together with a Beijing-imposed nationwide safety legislation, and the persecution of a few Roman Catholics in China.

    Hui were arrested on the airport on Tuesday night time, in keeping with media reviews, whilst Cyd Ho used to be already in jail over a separate case.

    The 5 had been trustees of the “612 Humanitarian Aid Fund” which helped protesters who were arrested right through pro-democracy, anti-China protests in 2019 to lend a hand pay their criminal and scientific charges.

    Vatican involved

    Hong Kong has lengthy been one of the crucial necessary Catholic beachheads in Asia, house to an intensive community of assist companies, students and missions that experience supported Catholics in mainland China and in different places.
    Beijing imposed the sweeping nationwide safety legislation in June 2020 that punishes terrorism, collusion with international forces, subversion and secession with conceivable lifestyles imprisonment.

    The Vatican stated on Wednesday it had realized of the arrest of Zen in Hong Kong “with fear” and used to be following tendencies “with excessive consideration”.

    Reuters used to be now not in a position to straight away succeed in the others for remark. The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese gave no instant remark.

    The “612 Humanitarian Aid Fund” used to be scrapped final yr after the disbandment of an organization that had helped obtain donations thru a checking account.

    The arrests come after police stated final September that they’d begun investigating the fund for alleged violations of the nationwide safety legislation.

    White Space spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre referred to as on China and Hong Kong government to stop focused on Hong Kong advocates and to straight away unlock the ones “unjustly detained and charged,” together with Zen.

    “All I will let you know is that I believe we’re more and more stricken by means of steps in Hong Kong to power and do away with civil society,” U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell instructed a separate tournament in Washington when requested concerning the arrests.

    Hui, an affiliate cultural research professor at Lingnan College, had as soon as taught exiled democracy activist Nathan Regulation.

    “If you wish to punish any individual, you’ll at all times to find an excuse,” Regulation wrote on his Fb web page according to Hui’s arrest.

    Critics, together with the USA, say the protection legislation erodes the freedoms promised by means of China below a “one nation, two methods” association when Hong Kong used to be returned from British to Chinese language rule in 1997.

    Hong Kong government, on the other hand, say the legislation has introduced balance to the town after the 2019 mass demonstrations.