【新唐人2011年7月13日讯】Hong Kong Police Encroaches on Press Freedom
The Hong Kong Police illegally arrested two journalists reporting on a July 1 demonstration. One of the arrested journalists was Kiri Choy, an intern at the Hong Kong Bureau for New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television. NTD condemns the unmerited arrest and detention of Ms. Choy, and demands an apology from the Hong Kong Police and the immediate removal of all charges and records against Ms. Choy as a result of its action.
On the night of July 1, despite identifying themselves as journalists, Ms. Choy and David Cheung, a citizen journalist with Green Radio, were detained by the police for being unable to produce their press cards.
“My employer (NTD) faxed my identity confirmation letter with a company seal to the police station shortly after I called my company. They refused to release me, giving the excuse that my ‘letter and company seal need to be verified as authentic’ even though my company had called them five times to do so,” said Ms. Choy.
“The Police treated me like a protestor, even using a charge of obstruction of a public place to arrest me.”
A seasoned police monitor, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor Director Yuk Kai Law, was among the reporters and witnessed the event as police escorted the arrested protestors to police vehicles, “We clearly did not obstruct police, however they suddenly accused us of doing so and demanded to take us away with the excuse of obstructing their duties which is obviously not true.”
Despite repeated calls from NTD staff to the police station to confirm Ms. Choy’s identity as a journalist, the police held her for more than 10 hours. She was photographed, finger-printed and required to give a statement prior to her release; Ms. Choy was also required to report back to the police at a later date.
“A reporter cannot be treated like a criminal for performing her duties,” says NTD spokesperson Carrie Hung, “we are very concerned that this arrest sets another precedent in the continuing erosion of human rights in Hong Kong, under the watchful eyes of Beijing.”
“As I understand it, press freedom is enshrined in the constitution of Hong Kong, and Chapter 39, Section 5 of Police General Orders stipulates that police are not allowed to block camera lenses,” continues Ms. Hung, “Kiri had a right to report on the demonstration, but she was arbitrarily arrested.”
“To this date, Hong Kong Police refused to acknowledge that journalists were detained at the demonstration on July 1. Well, Kiri is a journalist, and the police must respect her rights as a journalist. We hope the Hong Kong Police will do the right thing and expunge Kiri’s records stemming from this unfortunate incident, acknowledge its mistake and take measures to guarantee press freedom going forward,” concludes Ms. Hung.
About NTD Television
Headquartered in Manhattan, New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television is a nonprofit TV network with reporters in over 50 cities worldwide. Established in December 2001, NTD is committed to bringing viewers quality programs that not only entertain, but also meaningfully impact
people’s lives and the world around us. It is the only independent Chinese-language television that broadcasts uncensored programming into China.
Beyond its television programming, NTD has distinguished itself as the largest Chinese culture event producer outside of China. Every year NTD organizes and sponsors a range of performances, competitions, and outreach programs that promote Chinese traditional arts and culture.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Carrie Hung
[email protected]
