<p>A Hong Kong online news site said Sunday that it would cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet.</p>.<p>Citizen News announced its decision in a Facebook post Sunday.</p>.<p>It said it would stop updating its site on Jan. 4, and it would be shuttered after that.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/leading-uproar-us-says-new-media-closure-hurts-hong-kong-credibility-1066115.html" target="_blank">Leading uproar, US says new media closure hurts Hong Kong credibility</a></strong></p>.<p>“We have always loved this land, but at present, we are helpless as we are not only facing wind and rain, but tornadoes and huge waves,” it said in a statement.</p>.<p>“We have never forgotten our original intentions, but it is a pity that the rapid changes in society in the past two years and the deterioration of the media environment have prevented us from achieving our ideals without worry.”</p>.<p>Citizen News is the third news outlet to close in recent months, following pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and online site Stand News.</p>.<p>Authorities have moved to silent dissent in the semi-autonomous city, once known as a hub for vibrant media outlets, after Beijing implemented a sweeping national security law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.</p>.<p>The impending closure of Citizen News came days after authorities raided Stand News and arrested seven people — including editors and former board members — for allegedly conspiring to publish seditious material.</p>.<p>Stand News announced on the same day that it would cease to operate.</p>.<p>Two of Stand News' former editors were later formally charged with sedition.</p>.<p>In December, the opposition was shut out from elections under a new law that puts all candidates to a loyalty test, and monuments commemorating the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing were taken down.</p>.<p>The US and other Western governments have condemned diminishing press and civil freedoms that Beijing promised to uphold for 50 years following Hong Kong's 1997 handover from Britain.</p>.<p>Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam last week defended the raid on Stand News, telling reporters that “inciting other people ... could not be condoned under the guise of news reporting.” </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>A Hong Kong online news site said Sunday that it would cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet.</p>.<p>Citizen News announced its decision in a Facebook post Sunday.</p>.<p>It said it would stop updating its site on Jan. 4, and it would be shuttered after that.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/leading-uproar-us-says-new-media-closure-hurts-hong-kong-credibility-1066115.html" target="_blank">Leading uproar, US says new media closure hurts Hong Kong credibility</a></strong></p>.<p>“We have always loved this land, but at present, we are helpless as we are not only facing wind and rain, but tornadoes and huge waves,” it said in a statement.</p>.<p>“We have never forgotten our original intentions, but it is a pity that the rapid changes in society in the past two years and the deterioration of the media environment have prevented us from achieving our ideals without worry.”</p>.<p>Citizen News is the third news outlet to close in recent months, following pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and online site Stand News.</p>.<p>Authorities have moved to silent dissent in the semi-autonomous city, once known as a hub for vibrant media outlets, after Beijing implemented a sweeping national security law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.</p>.<p>The impending closure of Citizen News came days after authorities raided Stand News and arrested seven people — including editors and former board members — for allegedly conspiring to publish seditious material.</p>.<p>Stand News announced on the same day that it would cease to operate.</p>.<p>Two of Stand News' former editors were later formally charged with sedition.</p>.<p>In December, the opposition was shut out from elections under a new law that puts all candidates to a loyalty test, and monuments commemorating the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing were taken down.</p>.<p>The US and other Western governments have condemned diminishing press and civil freedoms that Beijing promised to uphold for 50 years following Hong Kong's 1997 handover from Britain.</p>.<p>Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam last week defended the raid on Stand News, telling reporters that “inciting other people ... could not be condoned under the guise of news reporting.” </p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>