Hong Kong news outlet to close amid crackdown on dissent

By ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong online news site says it will cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet. Citizen News announced its decision in a Facebook post Sunday. It said it would stop updating its site on Jan. 4, and it would be shuttered after that. The site says the deterioration of the media environment has prevented it from achieving its ideals without worry. Authorities have moved to silence dissent in the semi-autonomous city, once known as a hub for vibrant media outlets, after Beijing implemented a sweeping national security law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.