Hong Kong national security police raided offices of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily on Thursday, arrested five executives, including its chief editor Ryan Law
Police said five executives were arrested "for collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security".
The paper and its jailed owner Jimmy Lai have long been a thorn in Beijing's side with unapologetic support for the financial hub's pro-democracy movement and scathing criticism of China's authoritarian leaders.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday said China was using security legislation to "target dissenting voices" in Hong Kong after arrests at the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. "Today's raids and arrests at Apple Daily in Hong Kong demonstrate Beijing is using the National Security Law to target dissenting voices, not tackle public security", he was quoted saying by AFP.
More than 500 police executed a dawn raid on Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily. Police say the raid was sparked by news articles "appealing for sanctions" against Hong Kong and China's leaders. Apple Daily editor-in-chief Ryan Law is also detained.
Apple Daily warned that Hong Kong's press freedoms are "hanging by a thread". Pro-democracy paper vowed to "stand tall" after hundreds of police raid newsroom, remove computers and arrest chief editor and executives under new national security law.
