A Hong Kong journalist on Tuesday was arrested in a probe linked to a documentary she coproduced investigating an attack on democracy supporters by government loyalists, a move her employers described as “chilling.”
Public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) said that police officers searched the home of producer Choy Yuk-ling (蔡玉玲) following her arrest.
Police on Tuesday evening confirmed the operation, saying that Choy was arrested on suspicion of making an improper application to access the personal details of a vehicle owner.
RTHK drew a direct link between Choy’s arrest and an investigation she coproduced into the “Yuen Long attack” — an assault in July last year by dozens of men armed with sticks on people returning from a pro-democracy protest.
“Like everyone else, I am also concerned that this will have a chilling effect,” RTHK director of broadcasting Leung Ka-wing (梁家榮) told reporters.
Choy was released on bail later on Tuesday and said that her arrest would affect “how every other journalist in town is going to report news in the future.”
“I urge all journalists to stand fast on our values, and carry on our work with no fear and no favor,” she told reporters.
The brazen assault in Yuen Long — a town close to the rural border with the mainland — and the police’s failure to respond quickly enough was a turning point in last year’s huge and often violent pro-democracy protests, further hammering public trust in the force.
The documentary Who Owns The Truth? ran as the one-year anniversary of the attack approached, and RTHK used footage filmed by witnesses and security cameras — as well as public number plate searches and interviews — to piece together what happened that night.
It uncovered new details about the alleged attackers, some of whom have links to politically influential rural committees that support Beijing.
It also said that police failed to respond to the buildup of stick-wielding men ferried into the district by specific vehicles hours before the attack.
While the police force has admitted not responding quickly enough — arguing officers were busy dealing with large protests elsewhere — it has vehemently denied any suggestion of collusion.
The force said that it had arrested a number of the attackers, some of whom have links to “triad” organized crime gangs. Some attackers fled to the mainland.
Police have also arrested some of those attacked by the mob on rioting charges.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association condemned Choy’s arrest.
“Seeking the truth is the job of the media,” the association said. “The search for license plates is a common investigation method used by reporters.”
Hong Kong maintains a publicly accessible license plate database. It is often used by journalists for investigations, including those working for pro-Beijing outlets.
Modeled on the BBC, RTHK is publicly funded, but editorially independent of the government.
Its coverage of last year’s pro-democracy protests sparked calls from leading pro-Beijing figures to assert more control over its output. The Hong Kong government has since launched a review of RTHK, a move critics fear would hobble its independence.
Unlike the mainland, where news is strictly controlled, Hong Kong has a vibrant media landscape and hosts the regional headquarters of many international news outlets, but its reputation as a free press bastion is fading.
Since 2002, Hong Kong has fallen from 18th place in Reporters Without Borders’ global press freedom rankings to 80th.
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