Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, shut down online at 20 June 2021 and print its final edition on the following day.

The paper and its activist founder, Jimmy Lai, had become symbols of the pro-democracy movement and a thorn in the side of Hong Kong’s government and police, making it a prime target in the government’s efforts to stifle Hong Kong’s media.

National security police raided its offices as part of a crackdown that also included the freezing of its assets and accounts, crippling the company and guaranteeing its demise.

The accusations related to dozens of unspecified articles that police said called for foreign sanctions against the Hong Kong and Chinese governments. Police also announced the prosecution of three companies, and froze HK$18m (£1.66m) in assets of Apple Daily Ltd, Apple Daily Printing Ltd and AD Internet Ltd, and locked accounts containing more than $500m.