Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#PoliticalOppression
Next Digital Labor Union: Warrant does not include searching news materials, strongly condemns police's raid
The Next Digital Union issued a statement, accusing the police of intimidating the media and severely infringing on the freedom of press, and condemned it most strongly.
The Union stated that some police officers had searched documents and news materials without showing the search warrant to the Apple Daily editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong and his lawyer beforehand. Even when the reporters asked them to stop, they refused respond to the reporters' requests.
The Union quoted from Law that the police search warrant stated the search did not include any news materials, and strongly condemned the police for touching and looking news materials up without authorization, undermining the media's principle of confidentiality of data sources, and seriously infringing the freedom of the press.
Regarding what the police referred to as a "preliminary review," the Union considered it extremely unreasonable as each department has been sufficiently labeled, and thus the police would know the searching area was confined to the editorial department. Hence the browsing of the documents was considered to be an abuse of power.
The Union also stated that the police had once ordered all reporters in the building to stop filming while constantly expanding their cordon, preventing reporters from doing their work. They criticised the police for their action, emphasising that a raid on newspaper office involves public interests, and that interfering with press work is considered a serious encroachment on press freedom.
The Union stated that raid on news agencies is rare and serious incidents in Hong Kong's history, and believes that this act would bring catastrophic results. They questioned the true motive for raiding the headquarters en mass, suggesting that its true purpose was to harass and threaten the press. They emphasised that journalists in Next Digital would remain at their post until the last moment.
Source: RTHK #Aug10
#WhiteTerror #NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfPress
Next Digital Labor Union: Warrant does not include searching news materials, strongly condemns police's raid
The Next Digital Union issued a statement, accusing the police of intimidating the media and severely infringing on the freedom of press, and condemned it most strongly.
The Union stated that some police officers had searched documents and news materials without showing the search warrant to the Apple Daily editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong and his lawyer beforehand. Even when the reporters asked them to stop, they refused respond to the reporters' requests.
The Union quoted from Law that the police search warrant stated the search did not include any news materials, and strongly condemned the police for touching and looking news materials up without authorization, undermining the media's principle of confidentiality of data sources, and seriously infringing the freedom of the press.
Regarding what the police referred to as a "preliminary review," the Union considered it extremely unreasonable as each department has been sufficiently labeled, and thus the police would know the searching area was confined to the editorial department. Hence the browsing of the documents was considered to be an abuse of power.
The Union also stated that the police had once ordered all reporters in the building to stop filming while constantly expanding their cordon, preventing reporters from doing their work. They criticised the police for their action, emphasising that a raid on newspaper office involves public interests, and that interfering with press work is considered a serious encroachment on press freedom.
The Union stated that raid on news agencies is rare and serious incidents in Hong Kong's history, and believes that this act would bring catastrophic results. They questioned the true motive for raiding the headquarters en mass, suggesting that its true purpose was to harass and threaten the press. They emphasised that journalists in Next Digital would remain at their post until the last moment.
Source: RTHK #Aug10
#WhiteTerror #NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfPress