Press union urges police to handle all cases with ‘equal efficiency’ after same-day arrest over threats to pro-gov’t outlet
Hong Kong’s biggest press union has welcomed the police’s swift response after a local newspaper received a threatening letter, urging authorities to handle similar cases at other outlets with “equal efficiency.” Police apprehended a suspect just hours after the editorial team of Sing Tao Probe, a consumer advocacy platform under the pro-Beijing Sing Tao News […]
Hong Kong's leading press union has commended the police for their rapid arrest of a suspect following a threatening letter targeted at a pro-government newspaper. The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) expressed satisfaction with the swift action taken by authorities on the same day the letter was received. The letter contained a white powder and threatened the consumer advocacy platform Sing Tao Probe, accusing it of publishing an outdated consumer complaint. The suspect, a 24-year-old local man, is currently in police custody.
The HKJA condemned the incident, emphasizing that it poses a threat to press freedom in Hong Kong. The union hopes that the police will take similar swift action in handling other cases that threaten press freedom, in line with the police force's reputation. However, the HKJA pointed out that multiple cases of journalists being threatened and harassed remain unsolved.
Over the past few years, the union has highlighted several instances where journalists from various media outlets received threatening emails and letters containing defamatory content.
In September 2024, the HKJA held a press conference revealing that dozens of journalists from at least 13 media outlets had received such threatening communications. These journalists include staff from Hong Kong Free Press, InMedia, HK Feature, and several members of the HKJA executive committee. Despite reporting these cases to the police, no progress has been made so far.
The HKJA attributes the lack of progress to the challenges posed by Hong Kong's recent security laws, which have led to arrests, raids on newsrooms, and the closure of around 10 media outlets, including prominent ones like Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen News.
Since 2020 and 2024, over 1,000 journalists have lost their jobs, and many have emigrated from Hong Kong. The city's government-funded broadcaster, RTHK, has implemented new editorial guidelines, purged its archives, and axed news and satirical shows.
Written by urgent.news from Hong Kong Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
