Secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement: “We call on PRC [People’s Republic of China] and Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting Hong Kong’s free and independent media and to immediately release those journalists and media executives who have been unjustly detained and charged. “A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press.” Blinken said “journalism is not sedition”, and that “by silencing independent media, PRC and local authorities undermine Hong Kong’s credibility and viability”.
The seven arrested include prominent activist pop star Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng, as well as former editors-in-chief Patrick Lam and Chung Pui-kuen. They were detained for “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”, a crime punishable by up to two years in jail under a colonial-era law.
