Hong Kong, June 8 (ANI): The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urged the representatives of the Hong Kong Police Force to allow media to function freely to cover the commemorations of the Tiananmen Square Massacre held at Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay.
Hong Kong commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 on Tuesday.
Several media personnel have complained that they faced obstruction and harassment from authorities during that time and otherwise.
In a statement released on Thursday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urged the representatives of the Hong Kong Police Force to allow media to function freely, and ensure that the constitutional commitments of upholding press freedom are maintained.
Referencing a video viral on social media, the IFJ stated that, a Swiss photographer Marc Progin and an unidentified woman were escorted by police away from a group of press members covering the commemorations of the Tiananmen Square Massacre held at Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay.
According to the report, Progin and his friend were transported to the Hong Kong Police Headquarters in Wan Chai, where they were questioned and searched, before being released at around 11 pm.
The police however said that the photojournalist was brought into the headquarters because the police couldn’t check their identification documents amid the group.
Citing another incident, the IFJ report stated that, the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and Channel C multimedia production director, Ronson Chan was obstructed by police on June 4 in Causeway Bay.
Reportedly, a police superintendent had invited Chan to cover an interview, however later on a Chief Inspector accused the journalist of ‘taking the lead’ in disrupting order and intruding on a police line. Chan was threatened with arrest and asked to leave the area immediately.
The IFJ report stated that the commemorations of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 have been restricted, and there is a heavy police presence in the Causeway Bay.
Meanwhile, several activists, artists, and critical voices have been stopped by police, detained, or charged, while covering commemorations in 2023.
Previously, the former HKJA Chair and Radio France International correspondent, Mak Yin-ting was detained, searched, and transported to the Wan Chai Police Station where she was held for five hours over the same matter of covering the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Previously, Human Rights Watch also had raised a similar issue in one of its reports, stating that the Chinese administration has orchestrated several arrests of activists who sought to organise the commemoration ceremonies of the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre to be held on Tuesday in China and Hong Kong.
Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch mentioned that “The Chinese government is seeking to erase the memory of the Tiananmen Massacre throughout China and in Hong Kong. But 35 years on, the government has been unable to extinguish the flames of remembrance for those risking all to promote respect for democracy and human rights in China.”
Earlier in April, the HRW report stated, that Xu Guang, a student leader from 1989, was sentenced to four years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after he demanded that the government must acknowledge the Tiananmen Massacre holding a sign calling for redressal against the local police station in May 2022. Xu was reportedly tortured, shackled, and mistreated while in detention by the defence personnel. (ANI)
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