In a statement published on Thursday, it accused politicians and media of making irresponsible remarks about the police action. It said no matter what tricks external intervention forces played, they could not shake the determination of the SAR’s law enforcement and Beijing to safeguard national security.
The British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab and the EU have criticised the arrests.
In a Twitter post, Raab said the national security law, imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing, was being used to target dissenting voices, not tackle public security.
He said freedom of the press was one of the rights Beijing had promised to protect in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and it should be respected
Later, the EU said the police action further demonstrated how the national security law was being used to stifle media freedom and freedom of expression.
Police said the raid and the arrests were linked to newspaper articles calling for foreign sanctions. They said they would not rule out the possibility of further arrests.
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Last updated: 2021-06-18 HKT 08:36