Hong Kong Authorities Must Defend Journalists

Hong Kong Authorities Must Defend Journalists’ Rights, says IFJ

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned about a new report that documents increased media rights infringements in Hong Kong over the past 12 months.

The annual report of the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA), an IFJ affiliate, reports several threats to media freedom, including increased restrictions on journalists and incidents of harassment and assault.

The full report, The Vice Tightens: Pressure Grows on Free Expression in Hong Kong, can be found here.

Many of the media rights violations reported by the HKJA are in stark contrast to the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which grants its people freedom of the press, freedom of expression and freedom of publication.

The report also highlights the controversial decision to keep Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) under governmental control, made by the Hong Kong Commerce and Economics Development Bureau on September 22, 2009, despite more than two decades of public campaigning for the broadcaster’s independence.

“The IFJ urges the Hong Kong Government to uphold freedom of expression and freedom of the press, which is a responsibility that comes with being a signatory of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

“The IFJ joins with its affiliate, the HKJA, in calling for the Hong Kong Government to uphold the Basic Law of Hong Kong and allow media to operate without any administrative restriction or physical harassment.”

The HKJA also calls for the Government to enact a Freedom of Information Ordinance to resist pressure to bring forward national security legislation, following the passage of such a law in Macau in 2009.

The IFJ’s 2009 press freedom report, China Clings to Control, noted a number of cases where Hong Kong journalists were assaulted or detained while working in China. Find the IFJ’s report here.

ENDS

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