National Press Club, Journalism Institute Condemn Hong Kong Crackdown

WASHINGTON, August 11--Leaders of the National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute condemn China’s crackdown on the press in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police arrested on Monday at least eight journalists, including media tycoon and activist Jimmy Lai, and raided his newsroom in the latest assault on press freedom under a new “national security law” that China is using to repress Hong Kong’s citizens. Even before this week’s raids, Hong Kong authorities had attacked journalists covering pro-democracy protests and denied a New York Times reporter a work permit, among other attacks on the media.

“We are watching with deep concern the recent arrest of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong and China’s broader pushback on press freedom there,” said National Press Club President Michael Freedman. “China’s stated policy has been ‘one Nation, two systems’ and the system in Hong Kong has for many years included a vibrant press, free of government interference of this kind. We are alarmed by what we see in the Lai case.”

Angela Greiling Keane, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, also decried the new actions by Hong Kong authorities. 

“We call for the immediate release of Mr. Lai and his colleagues and the return of any documents that were seized at his news outlet,” Greiling Keane said. “We will continue to monitor this situation and to speak out against the use of arbitrary detention and seizure of property as tools that should not be used against the press in Hong Kong or anywhere else.”

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the World’s Leading Professional Organization for Journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing every major journalism organization. The Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute form a powerful voice for press freedom worldwide. The Institute, a nonprofit affiliate of the Club, promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

Contact: John M. Donnelly, National Press Club Press Freedom Committee Chairman, 202-650-6738, [email protected].

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