Tag: Press freedom

Hong Kong —  In a newsroom, editors tell reporters to not touch politically sensitive stories. Reporters are told to put stories on hold until China’s foreign ministry comes out with its statement. Terminology that the government might frown upon is banned from news copy. Such is the state of journalism, not just in China, but increasingly in Hong Kong, after a national security law was adopted by Beijing for the former British colony in 2020, according to local journalists. “Sometimes we don’t feel like we’re journalists. We’re simply a part…

Jakarta, Indonesia —  From all-expenses paid trips to cover China’s Belt and Road summit to content-sharing agreements with major media outlets, Beijing is investing in ways to share its narrative with Indonesian audiences, analysts say. One of the biggest deals came in November, when the Indonesian network Metro TV signed an agreement with China Media Group to expand content for Metro TV’s flagship Mandarin-language news program, “Metro XinWen.” The broadcaster joins the ranks of The Jakarta Post, which reposts content from the China Daily, and Indonesia’s news agency, Antara, which…

As Hong Kong’s official legal year began Monday, the city’s chief justice, Andrew Cheung, used the opportunity to stress how the judiciary takes its duty seriously. The courts will not “blindly convict” anyone and will respect fundamental rights in national security cases, Cheung said at the official ceremony, adding that the justice system will also not bow to pressure. “Threats of sanction or reprisal against judges for simply discharging their judicial duties are, therefore, repugnant to the rule of law and fundamentally objectionable,” said Cheung. The chief justice’s comments come…

washington —  Prosecutors in Hong Kong alleged on Wednesday that pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai encouraged the city’s residents to engage in protests and pushed the United States to take action against China. The British national, who founded the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was arrested in 2020 and is now standing trial on charges of conspiring to collude with foreign governments and conspiring to publish seditious material. Lai, 76, rejects the charges against him and has pleaded not guilty. Western governments and human rights groups are closely watching Lai’s trial,…

HONG KONG —  A Hong Kong court on Friday rejected a bid by prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai to throw out a sedition charge against him, delivering the ruling on the third day of his landmark national security trial. Lai, 76, was arrested during the city’s crackdown on dissidents following huge pro-democracy protests in 2019. He faces possible life imprisonment if convicted under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing. He is charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to publish seditious…