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world news Diamars 4 Januari 2022

Hong Kong news site to shut; pro-Beijing lawmakers sworn in

(AP) — A group of law- have fled.
makers loyal to China's The outlet is the third to
Communist Party were close in recent months, fol- Meanwhile, new laws have
sworn in to Hong Kong's lowing the shuttering of the changed how Hong Kongers
Legislature on Monday territory's last pro-democracy vote for their representatives,
following an election print newspaper, Apple Dai- including a requirement that
without opposition can- ly, and the online site Stand any who seek office must be
didates, as yet another News. "patriots," effectively bring-
pro-democracy news out- Citizen News was founded ing the body under Beijing's
let announced it could in 2017 by a group of veteran control.
no longer operate amid journalists. The small site fo- "What we understood about
a growing crackdown on cused on political news and press freedom has changed a
freedoms in the territory. analysis pieces, as well as in- lot," said Chris Yeung, found-
vestigations — and in recent er and chief writer at Citizen
The former British colony months became a refuge for News.
that was returned to China many journalists who had
in 1997 was once known as lost their jobs when other Yeung said at a news confer- Kwong, the project manager for 50 years following Hong
a haven for dissent and free- outlets closed or faced other ence on Monday that the trig- at the Committee for Free- Kong's 1997 handover.
doms of the press and expres- pressures. ger for their decision to shut dom in Hong Kong.
sion not seen on the main- down was what happened to She said that although Citi- Hong Kong leader Carrie
land. But the central govern- "With Apple Daily's sudden Stand News. Last week, au- zen News had not been Lam last week defended the
ment in Beijing has clamped closure in the past summer, thorities raided Stand News contacted by authorities, she raid on Stand News, tell-
down in the last year, leading the journalism majors who and arrested seven people — views the closure as forced. ing reporters that "inciting
to the closure of independent were originally supposed to including editors and former other people ... could not be
news outlets, the removal of intern with them, Citizen board members — for alleg- "I think in general the clo- condoned under the guise of
monuments to dissent, and News made arrangements to edly conspiring to publish se- sures … are basically invol- news reporting."
a poorly attended election take them in, so that students ditious material. Stand News untarily because there's this The only remaining inde-
swept by pro-Beijing politi- wouldn't lose this intern- announced on the same day fear that they cannot do real pendent news media with
cians. ship opportunity," said Vivian that it would cease to operate. and genuine journalism in reach in the city are Hong
W.W. Tam, a senior lecturer the current political envi- Kong Free Press, an English-
The founders of news outlet at the Chinese University Two of Stand News' former ronment in Hong Kong," language news outlet, and
Citizen News said the news of Hong Kong's journalism editors who were arrested said Kwong, an activist from Initium, a Chinese-language
site will stop publishing on school, in a public Facebook were later formally charged Hong Kong who now lives in news outlet which moved its
Tuesday. While they have re- post. Tam declined to be in- with sedition. Germany. headquarters to Singapore in
ceived no order to close, they terviewed. In the summer, authorities August, but still has staff in
said Monday that deteriorat- forced the closure of Apple The Society of Publish- the city.
ing media freedoms in the But a new sweeping National Daily, the newspaper owned ers in Asia, a group based in
financial hub put them in an Security Law — imposed on by media tycoon and democ- Hong Kong that hosts an an- Citizen News likened itself
impossible position. Hong Kong by China's cen- racy activist Jimmy Lai. Lai nual journalism award, also to a small dinghy in rough
"We all love this place, deeply. tral Legislature — has made is currently in jail and was said Monday it is concerned waters.
Regrettably, what was ahead independent reporting in- newly charged with sedition about pressures against inde- "At the center of a brewing
of us is not just pouring rains creasingly dangerous. Jour- last week. pendent media in the city. storm, we found (ourselves)
or blowing winds, but hurri- nalists and political activists The U.S. and other West- in a critical situation. In the
canes and tsunamis," Citizen have been arrested under the "I fear that this will turn ern governments have con- face of a crisis, we must en-
News said in a statement on law, and it has forced civil Hong Kong into a black demned the limits on me- sure the safety and well-be-
Sunday, when it announced rights groups and unions to box, that no one will be in- dia and civil freedoms that ing of everyone who are on
the closure. disband. Many more activists formed," said Chung Ching Beijing promised to uphold board," it said.

Serbia praises another arms shipment from Russia

(AP) — Serbia's president recent military buildup President Aleksandar Vucic Vucic said on Monday that
on Monday praised anoth- could lead to more ten- attended a training exercise Serbia is widely blamed for Serbia "remains on the Eu-
er shipment of arms from sions in the war-scarred at a military base near Bel- triggering a bloody breakup ropean path," but also added
Russia despite fears in the European region. grade that included recently of Yugoslavia in the 1990s that it will continue to "nour-
Balkans that the country's purchased anti-tank Kornet with its nationalist policies. ish" its friendly ties with Rus-
guided missiles. The country lately has armed sia and China.
itself mostly with Russian and
"I am pleased that our soldiers Chinese warplanes, drones To join the EU, Serbia needs
are happy about the purchase and anti-aircraft systems. the support of all EU mem-
of Kornets from Russia," Vu- ber nations, but the govern-
cic said. "It is one of probably In recent months, Russia ment has maintained frosty
the best anti-tank weapons in has handed over to Serbia 30 relations with fellow Balkan
the world." battle tanks and 30 armored country Croatia, the last new
"The Kornet is an important personnel carriers. Serbia has member admitted into the
defensive tool to deter any- also recently purchased so- bloc.
one from potential aggres- phisticated Russian Pantsir
sion against our country, " air defense systems, as well as Croatia, which is also a
Vucic said. attack and transport helicop- member of NATO, is in a
ters and Chinese drones. mini arms race with Serbia,
Serbia has frequently been which has recently received
accused of saber-rattling and Although formally seeking six used MiG-29 fighter jets
working with Slavic ally Rus- European Union member- from Russia and four more
sia to destabilize neighbor- ship, Serbia has refused to of the type from Belarus.
ing Bosnia, Montenegro and align its foreign policies with In November, the Croatian
Kosovo, a former Serbian the 27-nation bloc and has government announced the
province which declared in- instead strengthened its alli- purchase of 12 Rafale fighter
dependence in 2008. ance with Russia and China. jets from France.