Security chief slams press union’s ‘black-box’ leadership election, as chair cites ‘intense harassment’ for withheld candidate list

Hong Kong's Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, criticized the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) for alleging a "black-box" approach in the upcoming executive committee elections, with the candidates being chosen from foreign media outlets. Tang indicated that the HKJA had failed to disclose the names of its candidates after they were elected, highlighting the lack of credibility in the organization.

Similar to the previous year, the HKJA has not released the list of election candidates amid years of harassment. The HKJA chairperson, Selina Cheng, responded via WhatsApp, stating that the election was being conducted according to the law and the union's constitution. However, she acknowledged the intense harassment campaigns against the board members in recent years, which prevented the union from publicly releasing the candidate list.

Cheng emphasized the HKJA's openness to welcoming journalists both from Hong Kong and abroad, as allowed by Hong Kong union law. Reporters Without Borders, an international non-governmental organization, condemned the ongoing harassment campaign against the HKJA, supporting the association and the independent media community in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Journalists Association was founded in 1968, but its relationship with the government has been tense since the 2019 protests and unrest. The HKJA was initially accused of aligning with protesters and granting press passes to "fake journalists," claims the press union denied.