香港紙の創業者逮捕で購入殺到、５５万部に増刷　株価は１０００％近く急騰

【香港ＡＦＰ＝時事】香港で11日、民主派の現地紙「蘋果日報（アップル・デーリー）」の創業者が前日に逮捕されたことを受け、多くの市民が支持を表明しようと、同紙を買い求めに走った。（写真は連行される「蘋果日報」創業者の黎智英（ジミー・ライ）氏）
　香港国家安全維持法が６月に導入されて以来、香港の反体制派に対する取り締まりは勢いを増しており、民主派の政治家らが立法会（議会）選挙への立候補を取り消されたり、活動家らがソーシャルメディアへの投稿を理由に逮捕されたりしている。
　一連の取り締まりの中で、事態が大きく動いた日となった１０日には、メディア界の大物である黎智英氏を含む１０人が拘束され、２００人前後の警察官が、中国に批判的な論調で知られる蘋果日報の編集部を捜索した。
　だが黎氏への連帯を示すため、香港の人々は１１日付の同紙を購入しようと殺到。同紙は発行部数を通常の７万部から５５万部に増刷したと発表した。
　あるレストランのオーナーは、繁華街である旺角地区の新聞販売所から５０部を購入。
　無料で配るつもりだというこのオーナーはＡＦＰの取材に対し「政府が蘋果日報の存続を許さないので、われわれ香港人が自分たちで救わないといけない」と話した。
　同紙の１面には、いつもの赤い文字で「蘋果は戦い続ける」と記された見出しとともに、黎氏が手錠を掛けられて連行される写真を掲載した。
　旺角地区やその周辺では数十人が同紙を購入するために列をつくり、中には別の人々が無料で手に入れられるよう、販売人に前払いする人々も現れた。
　１６部購入したある女性は、「香港は報道の自由がある場所だが、警察は人目を引く方法で報道の自由を抑圧している。私は大きな怒りを感じる」と述べた。
　香港では昨年のような大規模抗議デモの開催にリスクが伴うようになり、また最近ではＳＮＳでの反政府的な書き込みですら罪に問われることが分かったため、一部市民は連帯を示すための別の方法を模索していた。
　黎氏の逮捕を受け、同氏のメディアグループ株の買い注文が殺到。同社の株価は１１日、１０日朝の時点と比べて１０００％近くまで急騰した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/08/12-13:18）

Hong Kongers rushed to buy copies of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily on Tuesday in a show of support for its owner, who was arrested a day earlier as police rounded up critics of China.
A crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong has gathered pace since China imposed a sweeping security law in June, with opposition politicians disqualified and activists arrested for social media posts.
The moves have provoked outrage in the West and fear for millions in the city who last year took to the streets to protest Beijing's tightening grip on the semi-autonomous city.
In one of the most dramatic days of the crackdown, media tycoon Jimmy Lai was among 10 people detained under the new law on Monday as around 200 police officers searched the newsroom of his tabloid, which is unapologetically critical of Beijing.
In a show of solidarity for Lai, people in the city rushed to buy Tuesday's Apple Daily, with the newspaper saying it had upped its print run to 550,000 from its normal circulation of 70,000.
One restaurant owner bought 50 copies at a news stand in the commercial district of Mong Kok, saying he planned to give them away for free.
Since the government doesn't allow Apple Daily to survive, then we as Hong Kongers have to save it ourselves, the man, who gave his surname as Ng, told AFP.
The newspaper's front page showed a picture of Lai being led away in handcuffs with a headline -- in typical lurid red characters -- that said Apple will fight on.
Dozens of people lined up in Mong Kok and around the city to buy the paper, including a woman who bought 16 copies and gave her name as Chan.
Hong Kong is a place with press freedom, but the police now suppress press freedom in a high-profile way. I feel very angry, she said.
Hong Kongers had on Monday immediately shown their support by buying shares in Lai's media company, sending its stock value soaring.
The buying spree continued on Tuesday morning, with the campany's value incresing more than 600 percent since Lai's arrest.
- 'Eviscerated' -
Hong Kong's new national security law criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.
The most serious crimes under the law, which was introduced on June 30 and is not supposed to be retroactive, carry up to life in jail.
Its broadly worded provisions criminalised certain political speech overnight, such as advocating sanctions, and greater autonomy or independence for Hong Kong.
Similar laws are used on the authoritarian mainland to snuff out opposition.
Lai, 71, was held on charges including colluding with foreign forces, as well as fraud, in an operation targeting his Next Digital publishing group.
Among the others arrested were two of Lai's sons, young pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow and Wilson Li, a former activist who describes himself as a freelance journalist working for Britain's ITV News.
Even as police were conducting interrogations, Beijing hailed Lai's arrest, declaring him an anti-China rabble-rouser who conspired with foreigners to stir up chaos.
Critics believe the law has ended the key liberties and autonomy that Beijing promised Hong Kong could keep after its 1997 handover by Britain.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who met with Lai last year, said he was deeply troubled by reports of Lai's arrest.
Pompeo described it as further proof that Chinese authorities have eviscerated Hong Kong's freedoms and eroded the rights of its people.
The United States had last week already imposed sanctions on a group of Chinese and Hong Kong officials -- including city leader Carrie Lam -- in response to the crackdown.
China condemned the sanctions as barbarious and imposed relatiatory sanctions on some senior American politicians and leading human rights campaigners.
In a late-night briefing, police said those arrested were part of a group that had previously lobbied for foreign sanctions.
After the national security law came into force, this group was still active, senior superintendent Li Kwai-wah told reporters.