India, Dec. 29 -- In Hong Kong on December 29, 2021, the shutdown of Stand News unfolded like a carefully staged display of power. The facts of the day point to an operation designed not just to enforce the law, but to be seen enforcing it publicly and without ambiguity.

More than 200 police officers were deployed to raid the newsroom. Senior editors and board members were arrested. Journalistic materials were seized. Within hours, the outlet's website and social media presence were erased, and an announcement declared the immediate cessation of operations. By nightfall, one of Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy news platforms had been wiped from the public sphere.

The scale and choreography of the operation were a demonstrative a...