Hong Kong newspaper shutters after police raid, in China's continuing crackdown on dissent

A news website in Hong Kong has shuttered after a police raid of its office and the arrest of six current and former editors and board members, the most recent incident in the continuing crackdown on pro-democracy dissent in the semi-autonomous China city.

The shutdown at Stand News occurred Wednesday and was followed by a statement by the group saying its website and social media are no longer being updated and will be taken down, according to the Associated Press.

The closure follows the shuttering in June of the pro-democracy news outlet Apple Daily, after top officers were arrested, publisher Jimmy Lai was arrested and a national security law was enacted last year.

In the Strand News raid, over 200 police officers with a warrant to seize all relevant news material were involved in the search, according to the wire service.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong lawmakers have increased efforts to stop dissent since the months-long protests in the semi-autonomous city that started in March 2019.

On Tuesday, Police also charged Lai, already jailed on other charges, with sedition.

"We are not targeting reporters. We are not targeting the media. We just targeted national security offenses," said a senior superintendent of the police National Security Department, the wire service also reports. "If you only report, I don’t think this is a problem."