Guilty Verdict For Hong Kong Journalist Considered As Blow To Press Freedom

Hong Kong journalist Choy Yuk-ling, also known as Bao Choy was found guilty of making false statements to obtain information.

The information was obtained for an investigation to attack anti-government protestors and the arrest is being seen as a blow to press freedom as a crackdown on dissent continues.

Choy Yuk-ling was arrested on charges of falsely declaring why she was obtaining license plate information from a publically accessible database. She was attempting to track down the perpetrators of a violent attack on protesters in 2019. Choy's investigation was part of an investigative documentary for public broadcaster RTHK. Obtaining vehicle license plate information is a standard procedure Hong Kong journalists practice when they fact-check or report investigative stories.

Principal Magistrate Ivy Chuo said that Road Traffic Ordinance does not allow the public to obtain vehicle ownership records for journalistic research. She added that Choy’s online application stated that the information would be used for “other traffic and transport-related issues”.

Hong Kong journalist Choy was arrested in November 2030 and pleaded not guilty. The freelances affiliated with RTHK was convicted on two counts of making false statements and fined 6,000 Hong Kong dollars (around Rs 60,000). The investigative documentary Choy was working on is titled “7.21 Who Owns the Truth”. It explores the behaviour of the Hong Kong police during the anti-government protests. The police had been accused of not intervening during the 2019 attack on the protesters.

After the verdict, Choy said that “Today is not just a verdict or ruling on me personally but a ruling on journalism in Hong Kong and a ruling on all journalists in Hong Kong.” She described it as a dark day for all Hong Kong journalists and described the verdict as “heartbreaking”.

Hong Kong-based lawyer Anthony Dapiran said that “This prosecution is part of a continuing strategy by the government of using the legal system to crackdown on dissent.”

Feature Image Credit: The Seattle Times