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Arrested Japanese photographer returned to Hong Kong as required by the police to report, but refused entry and deported
(14 Sep) Mr. A (pseudonym), a Japanese photographer in his 40s, was arrested on a street in Wan Chai on 31 August last year. At the end of the year, he complied with the regulations and came to Hong Kong to report for the third time. He was refused entry for no reason and was immediately repatriated, with no way of knowing the progress of the case, and even more afraid of being "dispossessed" as a wanted criminal.
The case did not get prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, the police confirmed as they received an inquiry from Apple Daily. The Immigration Department stated that it would not comment on individual cases.
Born in the most influential era of Hong Kong culture in the last century, Mr. A's impression of Hong Kong has always been illusory in Jackie Chan's movies. Until the Umbrella Movement in 2014, when students stayed on the streets around the clock, which made him pay attention to the process of Hongkonger's striving for democracy.
"Everyone is peaceful, not as fierce as shown in the news." When really stepping on the scene of the demonstration, Mr. A believed that the real situation was very different from the news footage. Most of the time the demonstrators just expressed their demands rationally. During police suppression, they didn't know each other but could move forward and retreat together in a tacit understanding. "It is hard to imagine something like this happens in Japan."
Having personally experienced police violence, Mr. A witnessed that the force used by the Hong Kong police was disproportionate to the peaceful behavior of the demonstrators. During his arrest, he also saw many arrested persons beaten up in blood. He felt that the road to democracy in Hong Kong was not simple. He then compiled his own arrest process, together with graffiti photos taken during his visit to Hong Kong, into a book, which was written in English, Japanese, and Cantonese as "Hong Kong political graffiti & buff ~ 2019年夏 香港民主化デモ 逮捕された記録~". It has been published and put on shelves in local bookstores in Tokyo and Shizuoka, hoping to let more Japanese understand how Hongkongers fight for democracy, so as to support every other person on the road to freedom.
When he was asked if the photo collection would be sold in Hong Kong, he said that he was not sure whether the work violated the "Hong Kong version of the National Security Law" or not, so he needed to seek further legal advice. He also said with a bitter smile: "Whether I can enter Hong Kong again or not is still a question."
Source: Apple Daily
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#Japan #Japanese #Photographer #PoliceBrutality #PoliceState #NationalSecurityLaw
Arrested Japanese photographer returned to Hong Kong as required by the police to report, but refused entry and deported
(14 Sep) Mr. A (pseudonym), a Japanese photographer in his 40s, was arrested on a street in Wan Chai on 31 August last year. At the end of the year, he complied with the regulations and came to Hong Kong to report for the third time. He was refused entry for no reason and was immediately repatriated, with no way of knowing the progress of the case, and even more afraid of being "dispossessed" as a wanted criminal.
The case did not get prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, the police confirmed as they received an inquiry from Apple Daily. The Immigration Department stated that it would not comment on individual cases.
Born in the most influential era of Hong Kong culture in the last century, Mr. A's impression of Hong Kong has always been illusory in Jackie Chan's movies. Until the Umbrella Movement in 2014, when students stayed on the streets around the clock, which made him pay attention to the process of Hongkonger's striving for democracy.
"Everyone is peaceful, not as fierce as shown in the news." When really stepping on the scene of the demonstration, Mr. A believed that the real situation was very different from the news footage. Most of the time the demonstrators just expressed their demands rationally. During police suppression, they didn't know each other but could move forward and retreat together in a tacit understanding. "It is hard to imagine something like this happens in Japan."
Having personally experienced police violence, Mr. A witnessed that the force used by the Hong Kong police was disproportionate to the peaceful behavior of the demonstrators. During his arrest, he also saw many arrested persons beaten up in blood. He felt that the road to democracy in Hong Kong was not simple. He then compiled his own arrest process, together with graffiti photos taken during his visit to Hong Kong, into a book, which was written in English, Japanese, and Cantonese as "Hong Kong political graffiti & buff ~ 2019年夏 香港民主化デモ 逮捕された記録~". It has been published and put on shelves in local bookstores in Tokyo and Shizuoka, hoping to let more Japanese understand how Hongkongers fight for democracy, so as to support every other person on the road to freedom.
When he was asked if the photo collection would be sold in Hong Kong, he said that he was not sure whether the work violated the "Hong Kong version of the National Security Law" or not, so he needed to seek further legal advice. He also said with a bitter smile: "Whether I can enter Hong Kong again or not is still a question."
Source: Apple Daily
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#Japan #Japanese #Photographer #PoliceBrutality #PoliceState #NationalSecurityLaw