Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily could shut within days, top advisor says

• Apple Daily, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper, has been a target of authorities.
• An advisor warned it could shut in "days" after assets of linked companies were frozen.
• Five of its top executives were also arrested earlier this month.

Apple Daily, a prominent pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, could shutter in a "matter of days," an advisor to its founder told the BBC.

Authorities in Hong Kong froze the assets of companies linked to the newspaper last week, and Mark Simon told the BBC that it could "do nothing while none of its bank accounts are functioning."

"The paper is still on the news stands today but it is only a matter of days before it won't be there unless its bank accounts are unfrozen," he said.

Simon made similar comments to Reuters.

The board of Next Digital, the parent company of Apple Daily, is set to meet on Friday to make a final decision, the local Now news channel reported Monday.

The newspaper has long been a symbol of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and a target of China, especially after it imposed a draconian national security law on the city last June.

Last week, around 500 police officers raided Apple Daily's offices with a warrant under the security law, sorting through documents and arresting five of its top executives, including its editor in chief Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung.

And Jimmy Lai, the media tycoon that founded the Apple Daily, was sentenced in April to 14 months in prison for his role in 2019 pro-democracy protests in the city.