Hong Kong gov’t to deregister 3 Apple Daily firms, list them as ‘prohibited organisations’

2026-02-12 - 05:07

The Hong Kong government has begun the process to de-register three companies linked to the Apple Daily newspaper and list them as “prohibited organisations,” authorities have said. Photo: Kenny Huang & Michael Ho/Studio Incendo. The move comes after media mogul Jimmy Lai, the newspaper’s founder, was jailed for 20 years in his high-profile national security case. According to a statement on Wednesday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang has issued notices to three firms – Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited and AD Internet Limited – informing them of the deregistration. The three companies, which are already insolvent, were tried and convicted alongside Lai, and were fined HK$3,004,500 each. The firms can file written representations to the government by February 25. The statement added that once the companies are deregistered, they will become “prohibited organisations.” Cardinal Zen and Jimmy Lai’s wife Teresa arrive at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on February 9, 2026, ahead of the sentencing of the pro-democracy media tycoon. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Any person who acts for a prohibited organisation or gives any aid to them will be liable on conviction to a maximum fine of HK$1,000,000 and 14 years imprisonment, the government said, citing Article 23, the city’s local national security law, “Safeguarding national security is a matter of fundamental importance. Endangering national security is a very serious offence. Such acts or activities may lead to extremely grave consequences,” the statement added. Apple Daily shut down in June 2021 after police raided its headquarters and arrested senior staff. It had been operation since 1995. The conviction and sentencing of the media tycoon, his companies and newsroom staff sparked criticism among international organisations. Following the sentencing, the United Nations rights chief deplored the 20-year-sentence handed to Lai, demanding that the verdict be “promptly quashed”. Meanwhile, the government and lawmakers have lauded the jail term. After the sentence was handed down, Chief Executive John Lee said Lai “deserves his punishment” and that he had “committed numerous heinous crimes and his evil deeds were beyond measure.”