US-funded Radio Free Asia shuts Hong Kong bureau, citing security law concerns

U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia said on Friday it had closed its Hong Kong bureau citing concerns over staff safety after the enactment of a new national security law known as Article 23 in the China-ruled city.
“Actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a ‘foreign force’, raise serious questions about our ability to operate in safety with the enactment of Article 23,” Bay Fang, its president said in a statement
The law came into effect on March 23 after it was unanimously passed by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing legislature, updating a broader China-imposed national security law in 2020.
It comes with stiffer punishments from several years up to life for crimes including treason, sedition, state secrets, espionage and external interference.
Critics like the U.S. government say the law gives authorities broader powers to clamp down on dissent. Beijing says the law is necessary to restore order to the financial hub after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.