Hong Kong’s Stand News closes after national security police arrest 7, freeze its assets

Stand News, a Hong Kong online media outlet that was popular with opposition activists, has shut down after national security police arrested at least seven people including its current and former chief editors and four former board members. The arrests happened around 6am on December 29, 2021, according to police, who said the group face charges related to a colonial-era law covering conspiracy to print or distribute seditious materials. More than 100 officers also raided the Stand News office under a warrant that allowed them to seize items including journalistic materials.