HONG KONG (AFP): A Hong Kong court dismissed on Friday an appeal by the former head of the city's largest press union against a conviction for obstructing police officers, issuing a five-day jail sentence.
Ronson Chan, former chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, had been arrested by police who said he refused to show his ID and was "uncooperative" when stopped by two plainclothes officers in 2022 on his way to report.
Hong Kong police have broad stop-and-search powers, and residents have limited legal recourse to object to an ID check.
Chan "was reckless and obstructed other members of the public... affecting public order", a judge wrote in a 2023 verdict.
Deputy High Court Judge Lily Wong upheld the conviction on Friday, sentencing the 45-year-old veteran journalist to jail for five days immediately.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association said in a statement it was concerned about the impact on journalism, potentially exposing media workers "to additional legal risks when covering events".
Chan sat quietly in the courtroom dock as Wong delivered the verdict.
His lawyer Steven Kwan told reporters they will consider appealing.
Hong Kong was once a hub of independent news outlets, but critics say press freedoms have been restrained since Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020, with some newsroom managers charged or jailed for violating it since.
Last month, watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 140 out of 180 countries and territories in its World Press Freedom Index.
Authorities said the media landscape in Hong Kong has "remained vibrant" since the implementation of the security laws, highlighting that "freedom of the press and speech are not absolute".
Before entering the courtroom on Friday, Chan, who was wearing a black shirt with the writing "Press Freedom" on it, told reporters that he was feeling anxious and had prepared mentally for imprisonment.
"I personally believe that Hong Kong enjoys freedom of the press under the Basic Law, yet time and again, in practice, I have seen that the status of press freedom is truly very low," Chan said, referring to the city's mini-constitution.
"I hope I'm the last person to get into legal trouble for these reasons when conducting interviews."
Beh Lih Yi, Asia-Pacific director at the Committee to Protect Journalists watchdog, said that Chan's jailing "on frivolous and preposterous charges of obstructing police is simply intimidation tactics to silence reporting".
Journalists "should not be obstructed from doing their work", she added. -- AFP
