Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#AsiasFinest #PressFreedom #Doxxing
Police Allegedly Dox Investigative Reporter: An Apparent Retaliation and a Blow to Press Freedom, Journalist Association Laments
Apple Daily revealed earlier that Assistant Police Commissioner, Rupert Dover and his wife, also a police officer, had rented out one of the houses they are residing in Sai Kung as a guesthouse. The couple was suspected of breaching both the property rule which restricted usage of the house to an immediate family member of the house owner and operation of a guesthouse for short-term stays without a license.
Subsequently, Dover’s wife, Cheung Ngai-si allegedly changed her profile picture on Facebook to a picture of the reporter who was involved in Dover’s investigative report, perhaps, a retaliation by way of doxxing the involved reporter.
The incident is seen as a blow to press freedom and amounts to contempt of court as Apple Daily had obtained an injunction order from the High Court forbidding anyone from disclosing or publishing personal details of its staff.
While the paper was discussing options with lawyers to protect its staff, it issued a legal letter to Dover’s wife on May 2, demanding an apology and compensation and the reporter was expected to file a complaint with the privacy commissioner.
The Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) issued a statement, pointing out that the police officer's switching of her Facebook profile picture to the reporter's photo couldn’t be a coincidence. Such action was disturbing and added pressure to the press. The Association reiterated that Dover and his wife are public officials. When facing adverse media reports, they should respond appropriately to the content of the story, not targeting individual journalists. The Association urged the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data to follow up on and investigate the matter actively.
Source: Apple Daily #May2 #PoliceState #HKProtest #PoliceBrutality #RupertDover
Police Allegedly Dox Investigative Reporter: An Apparent Retaliation and a Blow to Press Freedom, Journalist Association Laments
Apple Daily revealed earlier that Assistant Police Commissioner, Rupert Dover and his wife, also a police officer, had rented out one of the houses they are residing in Sai Kung as a guesthouse. The couple was suspected of breaching both the property rule which restricted usage of the house to an immediate family member of the house owner and operation of a guesthouse for short-term stays without a license.
Subsequently, Dover’s wife, Cheung Ngai-si allegedly changed her profile picture on Facebook to a picture of the reporter who was involved in Dover’s investigative report, perhaps, a retaliation by way of doxxing the involved reporter.
The incident is seen as a blow to press freedom and amounts to contempt of court as Apple Daily had obtained an injunction order from the High Court forbidding anyone from disclosing or publishing personal details of its staff.
While the paper was discussing options with lawyers to protect its staff, it issued a legal letter to Dover’s wife on May 2, demanding an apology and compensation and the reporter was expected to file a complaint with the privacy commissioner.
The Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) issued a statement, pointing out that the police officer's switching of her Facebook profile picture to the reporter's photo couldn’t be a coincidence. Such action was disturbing and added pressure to the press. The Association reiterated that Dover and his wife are public officials. When facing adverse media reports, they should respond appropriately to the content of the story, not targeting individual journalists. The Association urged the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data to follow up on and investigate the matter actively.
Source: Apple Daily #May2 #PoliceState #HKProtest #PoliceBrutality #RupertDover