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#FirstHand #Apr22
Hongkongers Voice Support for Journalist in Defense of #PressFreedom

"Defend Press Freedom", "Stand with #BaoChoy", "Stand with journalists", "the right to truth": Citizens chanted outside the court where former RTHK journalist was trialed over charges of "making false statement".

On April 22, 2021, investigative journalist was convicted over two counts of Road Traffic Ordinance violations. Bao Choy pleaded not guilty and reiterated thst the duty of journalists is to reveal the truth.

The award winning documentaries made by Bao Choy include an investigation on the attacks on pro-democracy protesters and civilians by the white-clad gangsters on July 21, 2019.

The police arrested Choy at her home on November 3, 2020. The charges against Choy has sparked outcry in Hong Kong among journalists and civilians.

#PoliticalProsecution #Censorship
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#FirstHand #Apr22
Bao Choy: I will keep on being a journalist

Award-winning investigative journalist #BaoChoy gave her statement, after the court in Hong Kong ruled her guilty of "making false declaration" when making car plate license searches for the RTHK documentary program "Hong Kong Connections".

Choy pointed out that there will probably be less and less news platform available, in the presence of more and more political pressure in Hong Kong. "But I do believe that we can still work things out," Choy said. "I will keep on working as a journalist. This is the best response and my most positive reaction to the ruling."

#Professionalism #Journalism #Integrity
Media is too big
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#FirstHand #Apr22 #StandwithBaoChoy
Conducting Journalists' Work is Not Guilty, Defending Press Freedom is Not Guilty: HK Journalist Bao Choy

Breaking into tears amid cheers of encouragement from fellow Hongkongers, investigative journalist #BaoChoy spoke to the press outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on April 22, 2021.

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#FirstHand #Apr22 #StandwithBaoChoy
Conducting Journalists' Work is Not Guilty, Defending Press Freedom is Not Guilty: HK Journalist Bao Choy


Breaking into tears amid cheers of encouragement from fellow Hongkongers, investigative journalist #BaoChoy spoke to the press outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building on April 22, 2021.

This took place after she was convicted of "knowingly making false statements" when obtaining public records.

Choy admitted that she is saddened and heart-broken because the conviction represents another step towards stifled press freedom in Hong Kong, not only criminalizing a commonly used investigative method for journalists to unveil the truth, but also reducing the space for reporters to defend press freedom.

The prosecution accused Choy of making false statement to obtain data, citing a law that says the car records could only be used for transport-related matters.

Choy disagreed to the court’s ruling, reiterating that “conducting a search for investigative reporting is not guilty. Defending press freedom is not guilty.”

She further explained that the verdict has set a precedence to “unreasonably and disproportionally restricting press freedom and disregarding the general public’s legitimate rights to access to information.”

“A reporter would risk making a false statement when conducting a search of car ownership involved in, for example, a car accident, because the reporter is not the concerning party," Choy pointed out the intent of the current ordinance is inconsistent to the Court's ruling.

Although Choy recognized the long-term impact of the court’s verdict on the city’s media industry, she uttered words of encouragement for fellow reporters to not give up seeking alternative ways to bring issues into light when carrying out the rightful duty of the journalists in a bid to defend #PressFreedom.

#PoliticalProsecution #Censorship #Professionalism #Journalism

======
Related News:
Bao Choy: I will keep on being a journalist
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29488

#RTHK Staff in Support of Journalist Being Sued: "Journalism is not a crime"
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29486
#PoliticalProsecution #HumanitarianCrisis
#PressFreedom at stake in Hong Kong: #US and #EU Condemn Conviction of #Journalist

On April 22, 2021 the day Hong Kong court found in investigative reporter #BaoChoy guilty over car license searches made for news report, the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau immediately expressed concern about the situation in Hong Kong and pointed out that "the law should not be deployed in a way that stifles legitimate journalism."

The Office also alerted that in the case of Hong Kong, "press freedom cannot be taken for granted."

On April 23, 2021, #NedPrice, spokeperson of the State Department of the United States, condemned the prosecution of journalist Bao Choy by the Hong Kong authorities. He expressed that "the U.S. is deeply disappointed in the conviction of Hong Kong journalist Bao Choy for merely doing her job."

Price recgonized Bao Choy "a champion of press freedom (guaranteed by the Joint Declaration) whose important contributions were just recognized by the Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Award."

Source: Stand News #Apr23

https://www.thestandnews.com/international/%E8%94%A1%E7%8E%89%E7%8E%B2%E7%BD%AA%E6%88%90-%E7%BE%8E%E5%9C%8B%E5%8B%99%E9%99%A2-%E6%B7%B1%E8%A1%A8%E5%A4%B1%E6%9C%9B-%E5%BC%B7%E8%AA%BF%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E8%87%AA%E7%94%B1%E7%8D%B2%E4%B8%AD%E8%8B%B1%E8%81%AF%E5%90%88%E8%81%B2%E6%98%8E%E4%BF%9D%E8%AD%89/
#NeverGiveUp #Court
HK Journalist #BaoChoy to #Appeal: "I will regret for a lifetime if I give up pursuing justice"

On May 5, 2021, former #RTHK producer and award-winning journalist Bao Choy announced that she would appeal against her conviction. The Hong Kong court has previously ruled her guilty of giving "false declarations" in connection with a car plate license search she made for a news documentary on the 2019 Yuen Long gang attack.

"I will regret for a lifetime if I give up pursuing justice. I won't be able to sleep at night," Choy wrote. "As a media worker, reporting facts and speaking the truth have always been my mission. As my city is falling apart, I expect myself to live in reality, with sincerity, honesty and integrity."

Source: RTHK; Stand News #May05
https://bit.ly/3eT1NUb

#Journalism #Injustice #PoliticalProsecution #Censorship #WhiteTerror
#YuenLong721
#Interview: The last faith of Hong Kong Journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling - selfless and fearless

Before interviewing Choy Yuk-ling, some of my colleagues who knew her well said that Bao (her nickname in the journalism industry) would talk a lot about news but might not much about herself. 

After the interview I realised that she was not hiding herself intentionally. Instead she had just injected her passion, faith, and most of her time into journalism. Speaking of her days after the suspension of her duty, she said, “My vocation as a journalist cannot be separated from my personal values. If I can no longer be a journalist, I can imagine the value of my life will become zero.” To her, nothing is more worthy to talk about that journalism.

Read Our Full Story Here
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https://telegra.ph/Interview-The-last-faith-of-Choy-Yuk-ling---selfless-and-fearless-05-17

Source:Standnews #Apr22

#Interview #Faith #ChoyYukling #BaoChoy #Selfless #Fearless #RTHK #Journalist #Incident721
#Recognition #PressFreedom
“7.21: Who Owns the Truth" wins #PressFreedomAward, but rejected by RTHK; producers accept award on behalf of production team

A documentary on an episode of RTHK‘s “Hong Kong Connection” titled “7.21 Who Owns the Truth”, has won the Television and Radio category of the Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Award.

The Awards Ceremony was held on April 15, 2021 by the Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Foundation, but RTHK refused to accept the award.

Only two RTHK contract staff attended the ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of the team. One of them was #BaoChoy Yuk-ling, the journalist who was convicted for making false statements in obtaining information while investigating the 7.21 attack, and another producer of the show, Cheng Sze-sze.

Choy said that these are tragic times where journalists cannot be publicly honored for their work, it “really reflects the situation of the industry and of Hong Kong right now”. Cheng said that journalists in Hong Kong feel like they are walking into a tunnel, "from light to darkness", and that the darkness may never end. Yet she hopes all journalists would know that “even though the tunnel is pitch black, there are many others in there with us”. She hopes that the media industry can stand together in solidarity, and "tell others that we are in the tunnel with them, walking alongside each other."

The Print and Online Category winner is awarded to Apple Daily’s series on illegal constructions at high-ranking police officers' residences. #AppleDaily’s Assistant Interview Director Alex Lam Wai-chung said that by next year, he isn't sure "whether there would still be Apple Daily, or ‘#HongKongConnection’, or even this award at all”, but he will continue to do his all that he can in remaining time, “one step at a time”.

Source: Stand News #Apr21

#RTHK #Journalism #721YuenLong #AwardWinning

https://bit.ly/3wzzt04
#NeverGiveUp #Hope
Hong Kong Journalist
#BaoChoy Awarded #NiemanFellowship by #HarvardUniversity

Source: Stand News #May25

Read more
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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29833
#NeverGiveUp #Hope
Hong Kong Journalist #BaoChoy Awarded #NiemanFellowship by #HarvardUniversity

The Hong Kong court convicted former #RTHK producer and award-winning journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling of "false declaration" when checking the license plates for an investigative report. The court's ruling sparked off enormous outcry among journalists and citizens in Hong Kong.

Choy pleaded not guilty and is applying for a judicial review. The episode "7.21: Who Owns the Truth" produced by Choy for RTHK's news documentary program "#HongKongConnection" has recently received the prestigious Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Award. The episode investigates the Yuen Long mob attack on passersbys and pro-democracy citizens during the Anti-ELAB protests in Hong Kong on July 21, 2019.

On May 25, 2021, Choy has been awarded the Nieman Fellowship, an internationally-renowned journalism scholarship, and will attend Harvard University for a year with 21 other recipients from Washington Post, The Guardian, Associated Press and others around the world.

Established in 1938, the fellowship is one of the oldest in the journalism industry, funding over 1,600 distinguished media workers over the years to study and collaborate with peers and experts at Harvard University. As a member of the fellowship's "Class of 2022", Choi plans to explore how independent investigation and media can be developed and sustained under totalitarian regime.

Source: Stand News #May25

https://beta.thestandnews.com/society/蔡玉玲獲尼曼獎學金-將赴哈佛進修-研究媒體如何在獨裁政權下生存限制

#Journalism #Professionalism #Integrity
#NeverForget #AntiELAB
2.5 years after
#721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong?

January 21, 2022 is the 2.5-year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long Mob Attack. On July 21, 2019, pro-democracy protesters, train passengers and pedestrians were indiscriminately attacked by white-clad gangsters in Yuen Long. While the Hong Kong police had allegedly turned a blind eye, the question once posed by #RTHK's news program #HongKongConnection resurfaced: in 2022-Hong Kong, who owns the truth?

Watch RTHK's "7.21 Who Owns the Truth?" (English subtitled), courtesy of Real Hong Kong News:
https://youtu.be/4rImPpE3p2U

The news documentary was produced by former RTHK journalist #BaoChoy on the first anniversary of the attack in 2020 and had won accolades including the Press Freedom Award.

Choy examined various video evidence, tracing the attackers to various pro-China groups. She also interviewed one of the victims, who was able to identify his attackers from the surveillance camera footage provided. The victim lamented that he had to identify the suspects before the journalists, since the police did not invite him to take part in any investigation. The victim wonders if the police wanted to investigate at all.

The journalist, moreover, traced the association of some of the attackers to various village representatives in Yuen Long, partly by checking car license plates against the government's vehicle registration database. However, the authorities then arrested and fined Choy for making "false statements" when accessing the public-available database. It was the first time such a charge was laid against journalists using the vehicle database.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) criticized the move, stating that checking public records had been a common investigative tool in Hong Kong.

In May 2021, RTHK began to take down videos over one year old from their online platforms. This documentary is now no longer available on their official website, as are the programs chronicling the 2019 Anti-ELAB movement.

Meanwhile, the police and state media had made concerted effort to rewrite the Yuen Long attack into a clash between "invading" protesters and those defending Yuen Long. However, another investigative report by Stand News discovered that the alleged call to protest in Yuen Long was likely fabricated, and was ultimately dismissed by discussion forums.

Watch "Tracing the Source - Investigative Report by Stand News" (English subtitled), courtesy of Real Hong Kong News:
https://youtu.be/Gch5ikVyI80

After the implementation of the #NationalSecurityLaw, pro-democracy news outlets, like #AppleDaily and #StandNews, have been pressured into shutting down. Their libraries of articles and videos, including interviews and video footage of 7.21 and many other events during the movement, had gone offline. Though netizens scrambled to back up the data, the records made by these news outlets in Hong Kong cannot be easily accessed by the public, and some may possibly be lost forever.

Two and a half years after the attack, Hongkongers today find very little room to publicly remember the events that transpired. Gatherings that merely hinted at support of the movement are suppressed by police wielding both the anti-gathering rules introduced at the start of the pandemic, as well as the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Meanwhile, the deep rift between the police force and the general public as a result of the 7.21 attack had not been healed, as the Force and its supporters cling to their version of events, which are regularly cited by pro-government and pro-China media.

For now, it is up to individual Hongkongers to investigate, record, document and remember the events they have seen, heard, and experienced during the pro-democracy movements.

Source: RTHK; Stand News

Subtitles by Real Hong Kong News

See also:
"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

30 months after, Hongkongers refuse to forget
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31954

#Memory
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Part 1 of 3

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/33081
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Part 1 of 3

The man walked around the Yuen Long MTR station with a tablet on his hand, which was replaying a video clip of the 7.21 attack. "It should be here .... No wait, a little further forward ... yes, this is the spot."

Galileo is one of the victims of the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack. 3 years ago, he saw former Stand News journalist Gwyneth Ho being assaulted, and rushed forward with several others to restrain the attackers. However, the attackers quickly turned on him; he was swarmed by 6 or 7 of them, and beaten with umbrellas, canes, and wooden sticks.

On the third anniversary of the attack, a group of independent journalists compiled a special video report titled "7.21: The Unfinished Case".

Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/smIWjWLYqq8

The group includes the award-winning former RTHK producer #BaoChoy; they interviewed several victims and witnesses of the attack, and revisited the scene of the attack at the MTR station, attempting to piece together the truth of the incident.

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

See Also:
3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack: when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/781

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Read Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/33081

Part 2 of 3

Interviewee: "Not a Group Fight, Only Being Assaulted"

The report strings together several scattered video segments, including live reporting by #StandNews, phone videos from citizens, security cameras from nearby shops, as well as videos by the recently-shut-down #FactWire.

The video presented several iconic moments of the night of July 21-22, 2019: men in white shirts distributing bamboo sticks from their vehicles, riot police repeatedly making way for the white shirts to leave by car, police officers patting the shoulders of the white-clad men, pro-Beijing lawmaker #JuniusHo shaking hands with the white men.

The interviewees said that there were over 200 white shirts involved that evening, but only 7 had been convicted of rioting and intentional bodily harm.

Galileo, who agreed to show his face in his interview, remarked that the nature of the 7.21 incident "was not a group fight; it was purely a case of being attacked and assaulted." He believed that there may currently be fewer than 10 people who would be willing to comment on the 7.21 incident, considering the way the government had characterized the incident as well as the law today. However, he insisted on speaking out on his own experiences and thoughts: "I stand by my principle: I say what is true."

Watch "7.21: The Unfinished Case" on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/smIWjWLYqq8

The video report also interviewed a shop owner who provided CCTV footage. "I don't want the truth to be drowned," he said. He also remarked that he seem to have been stalked because he accepted the interview, and had to check himself into a hotel in order to stay safe.

Before the camera, he shared that "the feeling of being unsafe now surrounds Hong Kong, including everyone who had spoken up, or had provided evidence, or had taken a stance contrary to the regime's."

"'The truth will eventually prevail,'" he said, almost cynically. "But when is 'eventually'? In ten years? Twenty? Thirty?" He hoped that he would live to see it. He stressed, however, that even though it seems the truth could not prevail now, the chance will be gone if he doesn't speak up.

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

See Also:
3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack: when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/781

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget
"7.21: The Unfinished Case": Video Report by #IndependentJournalists Reviews Records of #YuenLongAttack, Victims Speak Up as they Revisit the Scene

Read Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/33081

Part 3 of 3

Production Team: "Awaiting the Day when the Full Truth is Revealed"

The production team consisted of several anonymous independent journalists, including Bao Choy, who was a former RTHK producer of the Hong Kong Connection episode "7.21: Who Owns the Truth", and had been convicted by the authorities for making false statements in the process of routine investigation of records when producing the episode.

Watch "7.21: The Unfinished Case" on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/smIWjWLYqq8

The team emphasized that they did not belong to any media organization, and did not have a news platform. They thanked various independent media for their efforts in sharing the production. As independent journalists, they said, the team did not have salary or sufficient resources, but nevertheless completed the production and held to their professional principles.

They spoke of an interviewee who had been stalked for providing security camera footage, and had to live in fear of retribution. However, they had no regrets for bringing the evidence to light. Another interviewee described the process of seeking the truth was like continuously running into dead ends, but insisted on "continuing to do whatever I can."

The team saluted the interviewees: "They clearly understood that in these circumstances, very few people still dared to speak up publicly about the 7.21 attack. Yet they are still willing to be named and be interviewed on camera."

There were some among the truth-seekers who had been forced to leave the city, while others chose to stay. However, the team said, they are all waiting for the day when the full truth is revealed.

Their goal in producing this report, they said, was only to "put on record more evidence of this serious incident of assault."

Source: InMediaHK.net #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3omtWYB

See Also:
3 year mark of the 7.21 Yuen Long attack: when all of Hong Kong watched in horror as police abandoned civilians and sided with the violent mobsters
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/781

"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News (July 25, 2021)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30599

2.5 years after #721YuenLong Mob Attack: Who Owns the Truth Now in 2022 Hong Kong? (Jan 21, 2022)
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31957

#AntiELAB #BaoChoy #721YuenLong #YuenLongAttack #NeverForget
A year being in the US before returning, Bao Choy: Do my best to HK with my strength

Bao Choy, the director of TV programme Hong Kong Connection at RTHK, was told that she made false statement on Vehicle Registration in one of the episodes. She was convicted at a magistrate's court last year and was charged HKD6000.

Bao Choy applied for an appeal to the High Court. She indicated after the trial that searching for Vehicle Registration involves public right to know; but followed by her accusation, many news agencies no longer allow their journalist to search in the registration list. She hoped to do her best for the freedom of the press.

Choy received a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University last year and had studied for a year from last August. It is to investigate the independence, the future development and the survival of news agency.

She recently returned to Hong Kong. She answered, "Hong Kong is my home, where I love. I hope to do something for Hong Kong with my reachable power" when she was asked for the reason of returning.

She will wait for the judge to decide her case with peace in mind while she is not suitable to comment. "To do what I can do." The appeal not only is for her individual case but also involves public right to know, to let the court decide whether the registration aligns with Hong Kong legal spirit.

She believes the original judge has an extremely narrow interpretation to the law. The registration record has been very useful and valuable to the public interest for the past decades, including high officials getting vehicles before taking over the seat.

From her knowledge, the majority of the news agencies has stopped their journalists from searching the registration, having a negative impact to the industries. She hopes she can do something for the freedom of press with the case.

Source: Inmedia #Aug29

https://bit.ly/3ByG4vO

#BaoChoy #ChoyYukLing #RTHK #HongKongConnection #FreedomofPress #PublicRighttoKnow #July21WhohastheTruth
Hong Kong’s Top Court Overturns Journalist’s Conviction
Bao Choy Asks: How Can the Damage to Press Freedom in the City Be Rectified?

In an extended 30-month ordeal that encompassed her arrest, a significant legal setback, and persistent appeals that reached the Court of Final Appeal, Bao Choy Yu-ling, the former producer of Hong Kong Radio Television (#RTHK) program "Hong Kong Connection," finally achieved a momentous victory in the highly contentious "license plate search case" on June 5.

During the production of the episode "7.21: Who Owns The Truth?", Choy's team used the government's vehicle registry to look up cars used by the violent mob who indiscriminately attacked train passengers and civilians in Yuen Long on July 21, 2019.  They discovers that some of the cars belonged to village representatives and pro-government leaders in the Yuen Long area. The documentary has since won journalism awards, though the government-owned RTHK had refused to acknowledge them.

Instead, in 2021, the government persecuted Choy's team based on their use of the vehicle registry, until the Court of Final Appeal handed down its decision this week in Choy's favor.

In response to the verdict, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee Ka-chiu, bitterly asserted on June 6 that the government will improve the procedures and guidelines for license plate searches, underscoring that the court's ruling demonstrates the fairness and impartiality of Hong Kong's judicial system.

In rebuttal, Bao Choy questioned, "I wonder how many 'defendants' have the time and resources to advocate for the supposed fairness and impartiality mentioned by the Chief Executive?"

She conveyed that throughout the course of the case, journalists faced "intimidation" during their license plate searches, leaving the question of how the inflicted damage can be rectified.

Source: The Collective HK; #Jun06
http://bitly.ws/Ho7u

See also:

Hong Kong Connection - 7.21: Who Owns the Truth - video translated by Real Hong Kong News
https://youtu.be/4rImPpE3p2U

“7.21: Who Owns the Truth" wins #PressFreedomAward, but rejected by RTHK; producers accept award on behalf of production team
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29773

Hong Kong Journalist Stands Trial Over Use of Online License Plate Search
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29285

#BaoChoy #JusticeDelayed #PressFreedom