#WhiteTerror #PressFreedom
Commissioner of Police accused #HKJA of spreading wrong ideology; HKJA refuted

Commissioner of Police, Raymond Siu Chak-yee, accused Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) of advocating the notion of “everyone is a journalist” and “selectively deaf” to media with opposite positions being attacked. His rebuke was similar to that of the Secretary for Security, Chris Tang Ping-keung, which HKJA had made a declaration and held a press conference to deny all these allegations.

HKJA issued another statement today (Sept 18), stating their chairman had responded and reaffirmed that “completely nonsensical speech” would never become the truth, no matter how many times they were repeated. Also, they listed their other old statements, which supported “Wen Wei Po” and “Ta Kung Pao”, to refute Raymond Siu’s accusation.

Source: Stand News #Sept18
#PoliceState

#Breaking
Hong Kong National Security raid pro-democracy newspaper, arrested 6 senior staff

At around 6am this morning (December 29), 6 staff members and former staff members of Stand News were arrested by the national security police in Hong Kong.

The 6 arrestees, aged 34 to 73, were accused for conspiracy to publish seditious materials.

Those arrested including Acting Editor-in-Chief, Patrick Lam Siu-tung; former Editor-in-Chief, Chung Pui-kuen; former directors Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, Denise Ho, Fong Man-sun and Chow Tai-chi.

Over 200 uniformed and plainclothes officers were seen raided the office of the online media company in Kwun Tong.

Sources said police also searched homes of those arrested.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31752

#PoliticalOppression #FreedomOfSpeech #Crackdown

Sources: Stand News, RTHK; #Dec29
Photography: Roy Li

Hong Kong Authorities' #Crackdown on #StandNews

On December 29, 2021, over 200 national security police raided the office of Stand News, an independent online news outlet in Hong Kong.

Deputy assignment editor #RonsonChan – who also chairs the Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) – was reportedly held for investigation. Chan was filmed being taken away from his home by five national security police officers to “assist in investigations.”

In addition, 6 current and former members of the management have been arrested for "publishing seditious materials." The arrestees include singer #DeniseHo, barrister #MargaretNg, and former editor-in-chief #ChungPuiKuen.

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31751

According to InMedia, acting editor-in-chief #LamSiuTung resigned immediately after being arrested.

At 9:30am, tens of police were still taking boxes of documents away from Stand News office in Kwun Tong.

Source: InMedia #Dec29
https://bit.ly/3pxW4JY

#Arrest #PressFreedom #PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution

#Statement
#HKJA expresses deep concern on the arrest of directors and senior staff of #StandNews

Source: InMedia; Hong Kong Journalists Association #Dec29

Read more
⬇️⬇️

#Statement
#HKJA expresses deep concern on the arrest of directors and senior staff of #StandNews

The national security police arrested at least six current or former directors and senior staff of The Stand News on Dec 29 on suspicion of “conspiracy to distribute seditious publications” and are still searching the offices of Stand News on the late morning.

In a statement, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) is "deeply concerned that the police have repeatedly arrested senior members of the media and searched the offices of news organizations containing large quantities of journalistic materials within a year."

The HKJA also "urges the government to protect press freedom in accordance with the Basic Law."

In addition, HKJA expressed that it "has learned that Ronson Chan Ron-sing, the deputy assignment editor of Stand News and the chairman of HKJA, was also taken away by the police this morning. We are investigating the incident and have no further comment at this time, but will announce any new information in due course."

Source: InMedia; Hong Kong Journalists Association #Dec29
https://www.hkja.org.hk/en/statements/statement-hkja-expresses-deep-concern-on-the-arrest-of-directors-and-senior-staff-of-the-stand-news/

#PoliticalOppression #FreedomOfSpeech #Crackdown #PressFreedom #MediaLandscape #PoliceState #Regime #Arrest

====
Related News:

Hong Kong National Security raid pro-democracy newspaper, arrested 6 senior staff
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31751

Hong Kong Authorities' #Crackdown on #StandNews
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31752

#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

#WhiterTerror #Censorship
Unions registry demands answers from Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) over film screenings, book events, social media posts

//Hong Kong’s Registry of Trade Unions (#RTU) has launched a probe into the city’s largest press group, asking them to provide answers how certain events they held were relevant to their objectives.

The list of events included movie screenings and book launches. The association was also asked about social media posts during the anti-extradition bill protests and unrest, and how they were relevant to HKJA’s objectives.

The HKJA was criticised by Secretary for Security Chris Tang in September last year. Tang accused it accused it of “infiltrating” campuses to “rope in” student journalists as members.

The association had since hit back at the criticism, saying that it was “factually wrong,” and that Tang’s suggestion to make public membership information may be a violation of the Privacy Ordinance.//

Read the full article:
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/01/21/unions-registry-demands-answers-from-hong-kong-journalists-assoc-over-film-screenings-book-events-social-media-posts/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jan22

#PressFreedom

#PressFreedom #Accountability
Now news ‘deeply sorry’ over reporter’s question to HK leader about complaint mechanism for medical staff from China

As the government waived registration requirements for mainland Chinese medics coming to Hong Kong to help treat COVID patients, questions of medical accountability begun to surface. During Carrie Lam's daily pandemic briefing on March 16, a #NowTV reporter asked about the process by which a patient could lodge a complaint, in case of a medical mishap while being treated by a mainland medic.

The question, however, was not well received by the government and the pro-Beijing camp in Hong Kong.

While Carrie Lam stressed a sense of gratitude for China should come first, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying lashed out at the reporter on Facebook, questioning if "her brain had a problem, or her morals had a problem".

Other pro-Beijing groups went on to describe the reporter's question as "unprofessional" and "spreading hate speech."

Politihk Social Strategic, a group of pro-Beijing activists formed to support former CE Leung, claimed that the NowTV reporter had triggered “public anger” with her question.

The group posted photos of the female reporter online, and called for an online petition condemning her conduct as unprofessional and a possible violation of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Owing to public pressure, the TV station issued a statement of apology on the same day.

“We are deeply sorry that the question about mainland medics at yesterday’s Covid-19 press briefing caused concern and discontent among citizens,” the statement read. “The fifth-wave outbreak is still severe, and we are extremely thankful to the central government and the mainland’s selfless support.”

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) expressed regret for Now TV's apology, as well as concern that such attacks on a journalist's question would exacerbate the self-censorship among editorial staff. The association noted that a similar question was posed by pro-Beijing LegCo member Tang Fei on March 15, the day before the press conference.

The association stressed the journalistic value of posing these questions at press conferences, as it gives officials an opportunity to explain their policies to the public. Furthermore, the question received informative replies, showing that government officials also recognized the question's value. The association hopes that the public could better understand the workings of journalism, and would view the work of reporters without political preconceptions.

#WuhanPneumonia #RuleByFear #GratitudeEducation

Source: Inmediahk; #Mar17
https://bit.ly/3IiqAh0

#FirstHand #Sept7
Police Arrests Hong Kong Journalists Association's Chair

On September 7, 2022, veteran journalist and chairman of Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) #RonsonChan was arrested in Hong Kong for "obstructing police officers and disorder in public place".

It was reported that Chan and a photographer were on their way to a press briefing in Mong Kok, where they were intercepted by two plainclothes police officers for no apparent reason.

As Chan asked the officers for
police ID, they refused and accused Chan of being not cooperative. Within minutes, he was warned for multiple times and arrested.

Before mid-night, Chan was released on bail after being held at the Mong Kok police station for about 11 hours.

In an interview with local press, Chan told reporters that one of the police officers scoffed at him, "HKJA is trash". Later, he also taunted that "when will you die?"

Chan recited that his wrist was being forcefully held together, leaving a visible bruise mark.

Source: #FirstHand #Sept7

#PoliceState #Journalism #PressFreedom

Head of Hong Kong journalist group Ronson Chan charged with obstructing police officers during reporting

Ronson Chan, the chairperson of the city’s largest journalist group the Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA), has been officially charged with obstructing police officers while reporting.

Speaking to reporters outside Mong Kok Police Station on Monday, the former Stand News reporter said that he had received a call from the force earlier in the day notifying him that he would be officially charged.

Chan said the charge would bring certain “disturbances and difficulties” for his planned departure to the UK on Wednesday to pursue a six-month fellowship programme at the Reuters Institute at Oxford University.

“Fortunately, the Oxford side says they will support me and they will see what will happen,” Chan said, adding that he will respect whatever decision the magistrate makes.

“If… I lost this chance, I will not [have] regret.” Chan added.

HKFP has reached out to the Reuters Institute for comment.

When HKFP asked what he thought the incident said about the status of press freedom in Hong Kong, Chan said “even in Beijing’s streets, you will never experience any charges for asking a policeman which unit he comes from or him to show his warrant card etc.”

“You can imagine how the environment Hong Kong reporters and journalists facing is – it’s not a very easy environment.” Chan added.

source: Hong Kong Free Press #Sep19
photo: #firsthand

full article: https://hongkongfp.com/2022/09/19/head-of-hong-kong-journalist-group-ronson-chan-charged-with-obstructing-police-officers-during-reporting/

#RonsonChan #PressFreedom