Hong Kong leader says US 'beautifying' security offenses

Foreign governments are "beautifying" acts that endanger national security in Hong Kong if they criticize the recent crackdown on a pro-democracy newspaper, the first choice of the semiautonomous Chinese territory said Tuesday.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's comments come as some countries like the US condemn the arrest of editors and executives at Apple Daily and the freezing of its assets as the most recent types of eroding freedoms in the former British colony. Those arrested at the newspaper have already been accused of breaching sweeping security legislation imposed by Beijing this past year by colluding with foreign countries to endanger national security. "Don't try to underplay the importance of breaching the National Security Law, and do not try to beautify these acts of endangering national security, which the foreign governments have taken so much with their heart," Lam said.

Lam took particular aim at comments created by US State Department spokesman Ned Price saying Hong Kong authorities were utilizing regulations to suppress the media and silence dissent. Price said that "exchanging views with foreigners in journalism should never be a crime." "What we are discussing isn't exchanging views between foreigners and journalists," Lam said.

 "It is violating the law as defined in the National Security Law and predicated on very clear evidence which will bring the case to court."