The pinnacle of Hong Kong’s largest journalist group has been granted bail and allowed to depart the town for an abroad fellowship two weeks after being arrested for allegedly obstructing cops whereas reporting.
Ronson Chan, who chairs the Hong Kong Journalists Affiliation, pleaded not responsible to 2 counts of obstructing the police.
A conviction might imply as much as two years in jail.
Chan was allowed to publish bail and go away Hong Kong for a fellowship programme on the College of Oxford later this month on the situation that he retains the Hong Kong police up to date on his tackle and cellular quantity whereas in Britain.
He was arrested whereas reporting on a householders’ assembly within the Mong Kok district earlier this month with a colleague.
Police mentioned the 2 have been behaving in a suspicious method and have been requested to provide proof of id.
Chan was arrested after he was allegedly unco-operative and refused to indicate his id card.
His arrest prompted concern from the town’s International Correspondents’ Membership, which mentioned it “helps journalists’ proper to cowl tales with out concern of harassment and arrest”.
The membership additionally referred to as on authorities to train “transparency and care” in dealing with the case.
When requested on Thursday outdoors the court docket about his ideas on press freedom in Hong Kong, Chan mentioned he was not in a position to focus on particulars of the case, however mentioned that “everybody in Hong Kong, in case you attempt to observe what is going on, then you will get the reply”.
Hong Kong, as soon as a bastion of press freedom in Asia, has since seen its press freedoms decline after a troublesome nationwide safety regulation aimed toward stamping out dissent was imposed on the town.
Media retailers crucial of the federal government, such because the now-defunct Apple Day by day and Stand Information, shut down after police raided their workplaces and arrested executives and journalists.