The attack took place at 3:50 a.m. local time, when four individuals dressed in black and wearing facial masks, two of them armed with batons, entered the print shop through the loading dock of the warehouse in which the print shop is located.
See the full statement here: [ Ссылка ]
Context of Epoch Times operating in China:
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has worked to silence The Epoch Times since the paper first began publishing in the year 2000 because of its reporting on the human rights record of the Chinese regime and on criticism of the CCP. Shortly after the newspaper’s founding in the United States, 10 staff members working underground in China were jailed and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 10 years, for charges like “inciting subversion of the state power.”
In the United States and other countries, Chinese embassies and consulates have worked to try to discourage businesses from advertising with the newspaper. The family members of U.S.-based Epoch Times staff have been threatened in China. There have been numerous instances in which of bundles of newspapers were stolen or destroyed; though the identities of the perpetrators are difficult to verify, these incidents fit a general pattern of harassment by the Chinese regime.
Recent examples in Hong Kong are illustrative. Ms. Lu, the Hong Kong edition’s circulation manager, said that in April, a popular convenience store in Hong Kong tore up a contract for selling The Epoch Times under pressure from the CCP, despite that sales of the newspaper had exceeded the contract requirements. Lu also said there have been incidents of intimidation of journalists from time to time.
The arson on the 19th is the fourth attack on The Epoch Times’ print shop in Hong Kong. In February 2006, thugs broke in and attempted to smash the printers. In October 2012, thugs attempted to break in but could not smash open the gate. In December 2012, seven men carrying multiple toolboxes appeared and began attempting to break through the gate. They fled after police were called.
The protests in Hong Kong have been an attempt to defend the fundamental liberties of the people of Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong feel that if they don’t protest now, the CCP will force its tyranny over this formerly free city.
We appreciate the international organizations that expressed concern about the recent arson attack against The Epoch Times, notably the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.
This attack on The Epoch Times was an attempt to deny to the Hong Kong people of a free press.
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