Benedict Rogers: Police couldn’t take into custody Apple Daily’s inspirational courage, commitment and conscience

Hong Kong has seen many dark days over the past twelve months, but the sight of Jimmy Lai in handcuffs and 200 police officers raiding this newspaper’s newsroom was among the darkest. It was, as the last Governor Chris Patten said on Monday, “the most outrageous assault yet on what is left of Hong Kong’s free press”.

And yet darkness often provides an opportunity for light to shine, and once again the brave people of Hong Kong – and the courageous staff of this newspaper – have not failed to seize that opportunity.

In a show of defiance, they have not only kept Apple Daily going – but boosted its print-run. Extraordinary scenes of Hong Kongers queuing in the early hours of the morning to buy the latest edition are an inspiration to the world. The print-run went from 70,000 to 550,000 copies, and the share price rocketed by over 300%. The message was clear: Hong Kongers value freedom and defend the only mass-circulation Chinese language publication that defends it.

Mr Lai’s courageous employees clearly heard his message to “fight on” – and are doing so. And when he was released on bail two days later and returned to his newspaper’s offices, the welcome he received symbolizes the determination to continue the fight. This is a message the free world must hear – and support.

I have long seen Hong Kong as the frontline in the fight for freedom. Today, the newsroom may be the new frontline. The disqualification of pro-democracy candidates and the postponement of Legislative Council elections disenfranchise Hong Kong people and the banning of peaceful protests under the draconian security law close off that avenue for freedom of expression, meaning that the press – and this newspaper in particular – is more important than ever as a defender of civil liberties.

Of course on Monday it was not only Mr Lai and his Apple Daily colleagues who were arrested. We saw the arrests of other activists, not least freelance journalist Wilson Li and Agnes Chow, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent young pro-democracy campaigners. The message from Beijing was clear: they wish to silence all forms of dissent in Hong Kong. And while those who were arrested this week are now out on bail, there is a long, dark road ahead for them and no doubt for others to come.

So the message from the free world must be equally clear: these arrests will have consequences. The eyes of the world are upon Hong Kong, and these cases in particular.

For too long the rest of the world has responded to the assault on Hong Kong’s freedoms with fine words but too little action. The British government’s generous offer to British National Overseas (BNOs) is very welcome, and the decision by several countries to suspend their extradition agreements with Hong Kong is a positive step, but now much, much more is needed.

There are many possibilities. Among them are three concrete steps.

First, the United Nations could use its mechanisms to shine a spotlight on Hong Kong. Toothless though it may be as a body, the UN does at least have a role in monitoring and reporting human rights violations. As the crisis in Hong Kong continues to worsen, the need for such scrutiny has never been greater. The free world should co-ordinate efforts to seek the establishment of a UN special envoy and a special rapporteur for human rights in Hong Kong, as over 50 current UN Special Rapporteurs, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and eight former Special Rapporteurs, the chairs of the foreign affairs committees of the Australian, New Zealand, UK and Canadian parliaments and others have called for.

Second, we need a co-ordinated lifeboat rescue package, to help those who need to escape Hong Kong. Like-minded countries should be generous in offering a pathway to citizenship for those who want it, through a combination of packages to facilitate overseas study, work or – if absolutely necessary – asylum.

There will be some – like Mr Lai – who are determined to stay and fight, and they deserve our total respect and support. But there will be others who will decide to leave, either because of imminent danger or because they see no future, and they need our help too. And whatever decisions individuals make for themselves and their families, no one should sit in moral judgment.

Every individual must do what they feel is best in their circumstances. Many of those who leave to build a better future outside Hong Kong will use their freedom to speak out and continue to keep the rest of the world informed. Those who stay will pay a very high price but will continue the fight inside. And those who, very understandably, decide to lie low deserve our understanding, empathy and solidarity too.

And third, there is one other step the free world should take, and that is to keep this great newspaper alive. There’s an expression in English: “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. We must fight alongside Apple Daily to ensure that, by whatever means and in whatever circumstances, its brilliant reporters, writers and editors can continue the fight and that the printing presses keep rolling. As a former journalist who began my career in Hong Kong, and as a weekly contributor to these pages, I promise to play my part. Thank you, Apple Daily, for your inspirational courage, commitment and conscience.

Benedict Rogers is the Co-founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch. The article was published in Apple Daily on 14 August 2020. (Photo: Apple Daily)