Hong Kong: IFJ flags concerns about grave situation of media personnel in the country

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in its recent report, "Lights Out: Is this the End of Press Freedom in Hong Kong?" has revealed the grave situation of media workers operating from Hong Kong after the enactment of the National Security Law in 2020. According to the IFJ, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China remains a "hell" for professional and independent journalists as they face life threats while covering stories. The group has called the situation a drastic change for media personnel, after the enactment of the National Security Law some two years ago. The IFJ noted a clear and documented closure and an exodus of both local and international media outlets, journalists, and media workers that once earned Hong Kong a reputation as a bastion for media excellence in the Asia region.

As per the IFJ investigation, since the implementation of the National Security Law, the authorities detained more than 20 media workers including some prominent figures such as Apple Daily founder, Jimmy Lai. Citing the letters published by Lai from jail, The Guardian reported that the activist said he feared that the crackdown would eventually turn Hong Kong into “a cage, like Xinjiang”. Notably, Xinjiang is a place where the Communist government used to incarcerate at least one million, mostly Muslim minorities, including other human rights abuses.

"Critically, the IFJ’s report on Hong Kong documents about how independent reporting has been torrefied by the National Security Law, with journalists forced to self-censor out of fear of excessive recriminations by a government that increasingly follows the Beijing line and has little tolerance for criticism or debate," IFJ said in a statement released on Thursday.

IFJ expresses grave concerns over media freedom

"For those not professionally willing to do that, it appears to be nearing the end of the line for free and independent media as it has been known in Hong Kong," the IFJ statement further said. Apprehending the current situation of Hong Kong, the journalists union demanded the government around the world to help news people seeking to leave the region or find temporary refuge to continue their professional careers as journalists in exile. Also, the International Federation of Journalists urged the governments to support media personnel in getting visas and other related documents in order to relocate to safer places. Meanwhile, speaking to The Guardian, IFJ’s Asia Pacific director, Jane Worthington said that the organisation hasn’t come to this conclusion easily and added it’s deeply concerning that "we’ve come to this point."

Image: AP