Hong Kong’s Article 23 legislation takes effect, Radio Free Asia closes Hong Kong office

Radio Free Asia stated that the reorganization of the Hong Kong office means that local staff will be transferred to the United States, Taiwan and other places.

Due to the emergency implementation of Hong Kong's Article 23 legislation, Radio Free Asia was forced to close its Hong Kong office. Members of the U.S. Congress have expressed concern and pointed out that the law further attacks Hong Kong's basic freedoms.

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Radio Free Asia announced on Friday that it has officially closed its offices in Hong Kong after the formal implementation of Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law sparked concerns among journalists and staff about their safety.

Radio Free Asia Director Bay Fang said in a statement that the agency will no longer employ full-time staff in Hong Kong but will retain its official media registration in Hong Kong.

"We recognize Radio Free Asia's frontline status as one of the last independent news organizations reporting on events in Hong Kong in Cantonese and Mandarin," she said. "For those who rely on Radio Free Asia's timely, uncensored news coverage, "To our Hong Kong and mainland audiences, please rest assured that our programming and content will continue without any disruption."

In February this year, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang accused Radio Free Asia of being a "foreign force" that misleads the people of Hong Kong.

Since the passage of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2020, Hong Kong’s press freedom has been completely destroyed. International media such as The New York Times have withdrawn from Hong Kong, and the local pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was raided and forced to close.

This station recently reported that Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law came into effect on an emergency basis last weekend after rapid advancement by the Hong Kong Legislative Council. Beijing's further destruction of Hong Kong's democracy, freedom and rule of law based on this law has aroused criticism and condemnation from Western countries led by the United States.

Gregory Meeks, the top Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, said that Radio Free Asia was forced to close its Hong Kong office, which shows that Article 23 further suppresses Hong Kong's basic freedoms.

"This law not only represents a significant escalation in the efforts by the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to suppress free speech, but also undermines media freedom and the public's ability to obtain factual information about ongoing events in Hong Kong," Meeks said in a statement on Friday. Said: "Since the passage of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2020, Radio Free Asia has been a rare independent news source in Hong Kong, despite facing constant pressure and harassment. Twenty-eight years later, the closure of Radio Free Asia's Hong Kong office , a clear reminder of how Beijing is blatantly stripping Hong Kong of its autonomy."

Radio Free Asia stated that the reorganization of the Hong Kong office means that local staff will be transferred to the United States, Taiwan and other places.