Press freedom further declined in Hong Kong last year, driven by growing self-censorship and government interference as Beijing expands its influence over the territory’s boisterous media, a report said yesterday.
The southern Chinese territory prides itself on having relative freedom of expression compared with severely restricted reporting in mainland China, a legacy of Britain’s handover of power in 1997.
“Press freedom in China, Hong Kong and Macau deteriorated further in 2015, as the Communist Party of China used every means at its disposal to control the media,” the International Federation of Journalists’ China Press Freedom Report said.
The report comes at a time when the fate of five people linked to a publisher, feared to have been detained in mainland China after disappearing late last year, have put residents on edge with concerns the semi-autonomous territory’s freedoms are being eroded.
The five are from Hong Kong’s Mighty Current publishing house, known for salacious titles critical of Beijing’s leaders.
“There has been strong outcry from the Hong Kong people, with many concerned about their personal safety and freedom of speech,” the report said of sentiment after the disappearances.
The report also forecast that the Chinese Communist Party would use its resources to strengthen its influence in the territory, which is to hold elections for its legislature later in the year and for a new leader next year.
“As Hong Kong goes to elections next year the party is also using its considerable wealth to consolidate its influence over the region,” it said.
Last year’s report warned of “intervention behind the scenes” at a time when tensions remained high after more than two months of mass protests for fully free leadership elections in late 2014.
Pro-democracy activist Ken Tsang (曾健超), who was allegedly beaten by police during the protests in an attack captured by television cameras and beamed around the world said the situation in Hong Kong is “terrible.”
“Maybe we can say we have lots of freedoms, but somebody is threatening you at your back, I think all Hong Kong citizens can feel that,” Tsang said after a court hearing on Thursday last week. “The situation is not that good, we are terrified.”
A British colony until 1997, Hong Kong is ruled under a “one country, two systems” agreement that allows it far greater civil liberties than those enjoyed on the mainland, including freedom of speech and the right to protest.
The report, presented at Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club, also called the outlook for this year for the rest of China “even worse.”
Chinese authorities have detained and harassed reporters, used forced television confessions and other methods in limiting and influencing reporting, the report said.
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