#PoliceState #LegCoElection
HK Police Intimidates Reporter and Warns of "Loitering" Charges in Polling Station

On December 19, 2021, the Legislative Council Election took place in Hong Kong, after being postponed by the authorities for over a year.

In the Tin Sui polling station in Tin Shui Wai, very few voters turned up, unlike the long queue and the crowd during the Pro-democracy Primary Election in the summer of 2020.

Back then, the average waiting time of the polling station is one hour where the queue always consists of several hundreds of citizens.

In the 2021 LegCo Election, there were at least 4 uniform police patrolling the area. An InMedia reporter was confronted by the patrolling officers outside and the police inside the polling station.

Not that the police recorded the personal details of the reporter, an officer accused the reporter of being a "fake reporter." "Never heard of InMedia. Who is your boss?" the police said.

The police ordered the reporter to show the photos that were taken. The police also claimed that they have already arrested some people who took photos in other polling station for "loitering".

In another polling station in Wanchai, the police forbade a InMedia reporter from conducting interview in the unrestricted area outside the polling station. The police claimed that "only iCable and another outlet" can cover the election news.

Source: InMedia #Dec19
https://bit.ly/321XJyx

https://bit.ly/3EbtYZ5

#PressFreedom #InMedia