FORMER JOURNALIST AT HONG KONG’S APPLE DAILY RELEASED ON BAIL

Tue 29 June 2021:

Fung Wai-kong, 57, a former senior journalist at Hong Kong’s now-closed pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was released from custody on Tuesday.

Fung Wai-kong, was arrested 2 days ago, at the airport, media reported.

In an email response for comment on Fung’s release, police said only that a male suspect had been released from custody. Investigations were ongoing and the person needed to report back to police in late July.

It was not immediately clear what the investigation into Fung was focused on.

Live footage showed Fung leaving a Hong Kong police station but he declined to comment to reporters.

Hong Kong media outlets including online platform Stand News said Fung was released on cash bail of HK$200,000 ($25,760), had his travel documents confiscated and was ordered to report to police in late July.

Two weeks ago Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was raided by 500 officers and arrested five executives, two of whom have been charged under a sweeping new national security law.

Authorities say dozens of the paper’s articles may have violated the national security law that Beijing imposed on the financial hub last year, the first instance of authorities taking aim at media reports under the legislation.

Hong Kong returned to China with the promise of continued wide-ranging freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary.

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