HK court orders Apple Daily's parent firm to be wound up

HONG KONG • A Hong Kong court ordered the liquidation of the parent company of Apple Daily, delivering another blow to the pro-democracy newspaper after the local edition was shuttered in a crackdown on dissent earlier this year.

Apple Daily closed down in Hong Kong after its assets were frozen under a national security law that China imposed on the city, but it continues to publish in Taiwan.

Its owner, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and multiple executives have been detained and charged with collusion for outspoken articles and columns the paper published.

In September, the Hong Kong government made the rare move of applying to dissolve the paper's parent company, Next Digital, saying it would be "expedient in the public interest".

High Court judge Jack Wong yesterday granted the government's request after a brief hearing that was not contested by Next Digital.

It is unclear how the court order will affect Apple Daily's edition in Taiwan, which continues to operate as a financially independent subsidiary. Next Digital's Taiwan offices did not respond to requests for comment.

But Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement saying it was concerned that the liquidation of the parent company in Hong Kong could lead to "improper use" of Apple Daily's Taiwan employee and news databases.

Taiwan's government has criticised Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong and quietly let some residents, including a dissident book publisher, to resettle on the island.

Lai, 74, and multiple Apple Daily executives face up to life in prison if they are convicted of charges of colluding with foreign forces for coming out in favour of sanctions against China.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE