A Hong Kong-based labor rights group founded by prominent Chinese labor activist Han Dongfang has announced it is shutting down after three decades of tracking workers’ protests in China, citing financial difficulties and debt woes.
The closure of China Labor Bulletin, announced Thursday, came as authorities launched a new national security investigation into six unnamed people and one organization suspected of “colluding with a foreign country.”
Shortly after officials launched the probe, China Labor Bulletin – which receives funding from various foundations based outside China – announced its closure, saying: “The company is no longer able to maintain operations and has decided to dissolve and initiate the relevant procedures.”
Radio Free Asia could not immediately reach Han, a long-time contributor to RFA’s Mandarin Service, producing radio segments focusing on workers’ issues in China.
But Han, who founded China Labor Bulletin in 1994, told Taiwan’s Central News Agency that the shutdown was his decision and that he would remain in Hong Kong.
The bulletin advocated for the rights of Chinese workers and provided them legal support. It has served as a source of information for activists, journalists, and scholars on worker issues and unrest in China.
In its statement, the bulletin said: “As of today, our website will stop updating content and other social media platforms have also been removed,” the statement said.
RFA found that China Labor Bulletin’s website appeared to have been shut down on Friday, displaying a host error message, and its social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram have been deactivated.
The development came as China’s National Security Office in Hong Kong ordered Hong Kong authorities to “interview” and investigate six individuals and one organization suspected of “colluding with a foreign country or external forces to endanger national security” between November 2020 and June 2024.
Authorities on Thursday executed court-approved searches of the homes of the six people and an office, located in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung district, of the organization under investigation, seizing bank documents and equipment. All six individuals were required to surrender their travel documents.
The authorities did not provide the names of the six people or the organization under investigation.
The development underscores Beijing’s systematic dismantling of Hong Kong’s once-vibrant civil society, as authorities continue using broad national security provisions to investigate suspected foreign collaboration and force long-established organizations to shutter operations.
Since the implementation of Hong Kong’s National Security Law in 2020, at least 58 civil society organizations have been forced to disband.
Written by Tenzin Pema. Edited by Mat Pennington.
