Hong Kong pro-democracy paper announces closure

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy paper Apple Daily has announced its closure, in a blow to media freedom in the city. The tabloid's offices were raided last week over allegations that several reports had breached a controversial national security law. Police detained the chief editor and five other executives, and company-linked assets were frozen.

The publication had become a leading critic of the Hong Kong and Chinese leadership.

Amnesty International described the closure of Apple Daily as "the blackest day for media freedom in Hong Kong's recent history".

"The paper has been effectively banned by the government for publishing articles that criticised it, and for reporting on international discussions about Hong Kong" a statement from Amnesty said.

The paper's management said that "in view of staff members' safety", it had decided "to cease operation immediately after midnight" - making Thursday's publication the final printed edition.

The digital version of the 26-year old paper will no longer be updated after midnight.

A separate announcement by publisher Next Digital thanked the readers for their "loyal support" as well as its journalists, staff and advertisers.

Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai is already in jail on a string of charges.

Mark Simon, a close adviser of Jimmy Lai, told the BBC that police had disrupted a board meeting earlier on Wednesday and arrested one journalist.

"We are already closing to be honest, but they still had to show up and to make an arrest," he said. "[The police wanted to] influence the outcome of the board meeting… they wanted to make sure [Apple Daily] closes quickly."

It later emerged that a 55-year-old man, identified as an Apple Daily columnist, had been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to collude with a foreign country or foreign forces, local media reports said.