As publishers and editors of news media from around the world, we have united in support of Jimmy Lai, founder and editor-in-chief of Apple Daily, in his fight for press freedom and a diverse media landscape in Hong Kong. .
Jimmy Lai lived by these values throughout his life and founded Apple Daily to ensure Hong Kong residents had access to vital information. With extraordinary courage, he remained in Hong Kong and continued to publish as much as he could, despite the fierce attacks around him.
Now it’s our turn to stand up for Jimmy Lai, and keeping him in custody will tarnish the reputation of the authorities in China and Hong Kong respectively. The extrajudicial charges against him are clear violations of the law not only in Hong Kong, but internationally and in China.
The 75-year-old press freedom fighter was targeted as the Chinese regime tried to control the flow of information beyond the country’s borders, a global concern. When freedom of the press is threatened in one place, it is threatened everywhere.
Together with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) we support Jimmy Loy. We believe he was attacked for publishing an independent press and we condemn all charges against him. We demand his immediate release, the dropping of national security charges and the quashing of convictions on other charges.
We note that the case against Jimmy Lai is part of a larger multi-pronged attack on press freedom in Hong Kong. We are deeply concerned about the rapid erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong, which is evident in RSF’s Press Freedom Index.
We demand the release of all 13 journalists currently in prison in Hong Kong and the dropping of all charges against 28 journalists for violating national security and other laws over the past three years.
We also demand immediate action to allow forced media such as Apple Daily and Stand News to reopen. Press freedom in Hong Kong has been severely affected by the closure of these media outlets. The general right to freedom of the press must be protected for the people of Hong Kong and for the people of the world.
Christopher AlquistEditor-in-Chief, Göteborgs-Posten
Klaus GranströmEditor-in-Chief, Expression
Erik HulkjerEditor-in-Chief, Nature of Sweden
Jonas KanjeEditor-in-Chief, Sydsvenska Dagbladet
Eric LarsonEditor-in-Chief, OmVärlden
Julia NilssonEditor-in-Chief, Journalist
Lena SamuelsonEditor-in-Chief, Aftonbladet
Alexis Presett, Editorial Director, Le Picaro (France)
Hand Pierre BiteghePublishing Director, Le Mbanja (Gabon)
Find LawManaging Director, The Points (Hong Kong, in exile)
Meena KotwalEditor and Founder, The Mooknaik (India)
Qiang XiaoFounder and Editor-in-Chief, China Digital Times (China)
Dmitry MuratovEditor-in-Chief, Novaya Gazeta (Russia)
Catherine’s WinesEditor-in-Chief, Guardian News & Media (UK)
Jennifer WiltonEditor-in-Chief, Die Welt (Germany)
Fred RyanPublisher and CEO, The Washington Post (USA)
Margherita AqualedianiProject Director, GO Group Media/JAMnews (Armenia)
Almedin ŠišićEditor-in-Chief, Valterportal.ba (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Emmanuel EcoliPublishing Director, La Voix du Center (Cameroon)
Aman MananPublishing Director, Le Jour (Cameroon)
Wei LiuRepresentative, Civil Rights & Livelihoods Monitor (China)
Hossain BhagatDirector, Masr 360 (Egypt)
Nora EuniceEditor-in-Chief, Almanasa (Egypt)
Dove AlphonseEditor-in-Chief, Liberation (France)
Frank AnniesEditor-in-Chief, Society (France)
Jerome ChapuisEditor-in-Chief, La Croix (France)
Eric SouleEditor-in-Chief, L’Express (France)
Jerome FenoglioEditor-in-Chief, Le Monde (France)
Luke HermanDirector, Premiers Lignes (France)
Paul MoreiraDirector, Premiers Lignes (France)
Francois JolieHead of Information, TV5MONDE (France)
Natacha PolonyDirector, Marianne (France)
Dear CecilyEditor-in-Chief, L’Obs (France)
Laurent RichardEditor-in-Chief, Forbidden Stories (France)
Boris BiokePublishing Director Le Temps (Gabon)
Desire EnemyPublishing Director, Echoes du Nord (Cabon)
Sidney IvembyEditor-in-Chief, Gabonactu.com (Gabon)
Isaac MakangaCEO, Afrik Direct (Gabon)
Lupa Carl Randy, Publishing Director, La Loup (Gabon)
Frank Charlie MantugoPublishing Director, Gabon Infos (Gabon)
Pop signPublisher, The Point (The Gambia)
Nestan TsetskhladzeEditor-in-Chief, netgazeti.ge (Georgia)
Wolfgang GrachtEditor Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
Judith WitwerEditor-in-Chief, Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
Ulrike WinkelmannDirector, Dass (Germany)
Chabolk’s dull, Editor-in-Chief, Telex.hu (Hungary)
Aditya Raj KaulEditor-in-Chief, TV9 Network (India)
Abhishek MukherjeeContent Manager, Wiston India (India)
Pooja PrasannaEditor-in-Chief, The News Minute (India)
Pratik SinhaFounder and Editor, Alt News (India)
David WaryEditor-in-Chief, Il Dubbio (Italy)
Elsie MoufarrejCoordinator, Alternative Press Syndicate (Lebanon)
Dr. Tum Ping ChinFounder and CEO, New Narathif (Malaysia)
Adama dramaPublishing Director, Sphinx (Mali)
Caroline MuscatFounder and Editor, The Shift News (Malta)
Batbold ErdenechimegEditor, Mongolian Content (Mongolia)
Ariunbileg OyunbilegtEditor-in-Chief, mPress.mn (Mongolia)
Shinebyer TanyaFounder, dens.mn (Mongolia)
Ankhzul TsedenFounder and Editor-in-Chief, tsahiur.mn (Mongolia)
Hey Chan NaingCEO and Editor-in-Chief, Democratic Voice Burma (Myanmar)
Dr. David RobyEditor-in-Chief, Asia Pacific Report and Pacific Media Watch (Nya
Zealand)
Dr. Amaechi AnakwueHead of News, African Independence Television and
Raypower FM (Nigeria)
Akpa JalingoPublisher, Cross Riverwatch (Nigeria)
Samuel OgundibManaging Editor, People’s Gazette (Nigeria)
Beth FrondosoHead of Multimedia, Rappler (Philippines)
Glenda GloriaEditor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, Rappler (Philippines)
Chai HofilenaEditor-in-Chief, Rappler (Philippines)
Maria RessaFounder and CEO, Rappler (Philippines)
Bogoslav KrabodaDirector General, Rzeczpospolita (Poland)
Katelyn TolandonEditor-in-Chief, Libertadia (Romania)
Roman AninAuthor, Important Stories (Russia)
Daniel BeilinsonCo-Founder, OVD-Information (Russia)
Abdullah DuduyevEditor-in-Chief, Dosh (Russia)
Elizaveta OsetinskayaFounder, The Bell (Russia)
Malik Abubakar Hamid DialloPublishing Director, Afrik.com (Senegal)
Beata BalokovaDirector, Sme (Slovakia)
Liz BornerEditor-in-Chief, Radio, Swiss Radio and Fernsehren SRF (Switzerland)
Adrian ZubriganDeputy Director, Tagus-Ansiger (Switzerland)
Jane SenEditor-in-Chief, Central News Agency (Taiwan)
Arthur ChengEditor-in-Chief, Taiwan Apple Daily (Taiwan)
Patience ChuangEditor-in-Chief, Spring Hill Publishing (Taiwan)
Cheryl LoyPresident, Radio Taiwan International (Taiwan)
Chi-Fung LiaoPublisher, Asian Culture Publishing (Taiwan)
Hung Tak WaiEditor-in-Chief, 1841 Publishing House (Taiwan)
Yeshe ChoesangEditor-in-Chief, Tibet Post International (Tibet)
Murad InsogluEditor-in-Chief, Bayanet (Turkey)
Fatih BolatDirector, Evrencel (Turkey)
Sevgil MusevaEditor-in-Chief, Ukraine Pravda (Ukraine)
Dan AlfordCEO, Society of Editors (UK)
Richard BestEditor-in-Chief, The Independent (UK)
Geordie CraigEditor-in-Chief, The Independent (UK)
Oliver DuffEditor-in-Chief, iNews (UK)
Chris EvansEditor, The Telegraph (UK)
Tony GallagherEditor, The Times (UK)
Gary JonesEditor, Daily Express (UK)
Neil MackintoshEditor, The Scotsman (UK)
Victoria NewtonEditor-in-Chief, The Sun (UK)
Alison PhillipsEditor, Daily Mirror (UK)
Dominique BonsportEditor-in-Chief, Press Gazette (UK)
Dead VerityEditor, Mail Newspapers (UK)
Paul WebsterEditor, The Observer (UK)
Aidan WhiteFounder, Ethical Journalism Network (UK)
Matthew KaminskyEditor-in-Chief, Politico (US)
Temple ShekoleslamiCEO, Politico (USA)
William McCarranCEO, National Press Club (USA)
AGSulzbergerPresident, The New York Times (USA)
Alexey VolosevichFounder and Editor, AsiaTerra (Uzbekistan)
GP’s culture editorial team directs you to the week’s gossip, events and Gothenburg’s cultural life.
To sign up for the newsletter, you need a digital account, which is free and offers many benefits. Follow the instructions and sign up for the newsletter here.
Want to learn more about how GP works with quality journalism? Read our Code of Conduct Here.
“Passionate beer ninja. Extreme problem solver. Thinker. Professional web fan. Avid communicator. Hardcore troublemaker.”
More Stories
UK expands military contract with Saab
Saab receives more orders for training systems from the UK
Saab receives more orders for training systems from the UK