Chinese Authorities Target Yet Another "Stand News" Journalist in Hong Kong
Chinese authorities arrested journalist Allan Au, who most recently worked for defunct news outlet Stand News, at his home in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong on April 11 and charged him with “conspiracy to publish seditious publication,” which carries a two-year long prison sentence. Au, 54, worked as a senior producer with TVB News and radio anchor with RTHK, two of the province’s more prolific news sources. Au was fired from RTHK in June of 2021 after a government-directed overhaul of the editorial staff.
Allan Au. (@krislc/Twitter)
Au is the third journalist with a connection to Stand News to be arrested and held on conspiracy charges in recent months. Both chief editors Patrick Lam and Chung Pui-kuen currently await trial while in custody.
“The detention of a third journalist from Stand News two months after the media’s forced shutdown, shows the government’s determination to put an end to press freedom in the territory”, said Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) East Asia Bureau head, Cédric Alviani.
The forced shutdown of media in the province has been snowballing since the Chinese government promised to craft more laws containing vaguer criteria for, but harsher punishments in conjunction with, crimes of sedition, treason, secession, and subversion. Pro-democracy journalists in Hong Kong have been disproportionately charged with these new laws.
Stand News ceased operations at the end of December, 2021, citing a need to protect its staff after a raid and the arrests of its chief editors on the same day. Tabloid Apple Daily also shut down shortly thereafter, and pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai and six executives affiliated with the newsroom were arrested. Lai is currently serving a 14-month sentence for participating in the pro-democracy protests of 2019.
The Chinese government also sentenced several pro-democracy figures to prison sentences for their parts in the protest, including Martin Lee, who has been referred to as “the father of Hong Kong democracy.” Also concerning are reports that Beijing is slated to send former security chief John Lee to take over as chief administrator of Hong Kong. Lee oversaw the government’s brutal response to pro-democracy protests. When asked if Au’s arrest would cause further deterioration of press freedoms in Hong Kong, Lee declined to comment.
Au’s arrest was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship.
“Journalists around the world are being exposed to a new level of hostility by the governments of Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Russia and other repressive regimes, resulting in a dramatic deterioration of press freedom,” said Dawn Garcia, JSK’s director. “JSK will continue to speak out against these acts of intimidation against its alumni community and journalists worldwide.”
Au was released on bail as of midnight on April 11.
