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HK pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily to print final edition today

This article is more than 12 months old

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily will print its last edition today, the paper said yesterday, after a stormy year in which it was raided by police and its tycoon owner and other staff were arrested under a new national security law.

The end of the popular 26-year-old tabloid, which mixes pro-democracy discourse with racy celebrity gossip and investigations of those in power, has raised alarm over media freedom and other rights in the city.

Apple Daily's support for democratic rights and freedoms has made it a thorn in Beijing's side since owner Jimmy Lai started it in 1995.

"Thank you to all readers, subscribers, ad clients and Hong Kongers for 26 years of immense love and support.

"Here we say goodbye, take care of yourselves," Apple Daily said in an article on its website.

Lai, whose assets have been frozen, is serving prison sentences on charges of taking part in unauthorised assemblies, stemming from democracy protests last year.

Rights groups, media organisations and Western governments have criticised the action against the newspaper. Hong Kong and mainland officials have repeatedly said that media freedoms are respected but are not absolute. - REUTERS

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