The national security police has said the arrest of a veteran Hong Kong journalist is founded on the ground of alleged conspiracy to publish seditious materials.
Newwebbs learnt that the arrest is the latest blow to the local press in Hong Kong, which has seen its media freedom rating plummet as Beijing cracks down on dissent.
Allan Au, a 54-year-old reporter and journalism lecturer, was arrested in a dawn raid by Hong Kong’s national security police unit, multiple local media outlets reported.
A senior police source confirmed Au’s arrest to AFP on a charge of “conspiracy to publish seditious materials”.
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Police later confirmed the arrest of a 54-year-old male on the same charge in a statement that did not name Au, which is local practice.
The statement also warned that; “Further arrests may be made”.
Au is a former columnist for Stand News, an online news platform that was shuttered last December after authorities froze the company’s assets using a national security law.
