Hong Kong saw a massive fall in the recently released international press freedom rankings as it fell 68 places to the 148th spot after the introduction of strict security laws targeting news outlets.
With China flexing its muscle in the region and growing unrest surrounding the “patriots only” legislature, a number of journalists have been jailed due to their reportage and that result in their drastic fall in the rankings published by media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
“It is the biggest downfall of the year, but it is fully deserved due to the consistent attacks on freedom of the press and the slow disappearance of the rule of law in Hong Kong,” Cedric Alviani, head of RSF’s Taiwan-based East Asia bureau, told AFP after the rankings were published.
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“In the past year we have seen a drastic, drastic move against journalists,” he added.
Here’s a look at the reasons behind Hong Kong’s fall in the press freedom rankings –
Chinese intervention
The strong-arming tactics by China has caused a lot of unrest in Hong Kong and the new national security law implemented in 2020 has made things even more difficult for the journalists in the country. “China (175th), one of the world’s most repressive autocratic regimes, uses its legislative arsenal to confine its population and cut it off from the rest of the world, especially the population of Hong Kong (148th), which has plummeted in the Index,” RSF said in their official website.
Media houses closing down
Two major independent news outlets – Apply Daily and Stand News – fell victim to the security law as Apply Daily owner Jimmy Lai was arrested over suspected relationship with foreign forces. Apple Daily was one of the most prominent pro-democracy publications in Hong Kong since China took control of the nation in 1997 and it was shut down by the authorities citing legal risks.
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Legal problems
The National Security Law imposed by the authorities is in direct contradiction with the Hong Kong constitution which guarantees “freedom of speech, of the press and of publication”. The new law allows the authorities to target news outlets for “terrorism”, “secession”, “subversion”, and “collusion with foreign forces” and its vague wording makes it a lethal weapon for them.
Economic distress
The other strategy applied by the pro-China government to strangle the media is the introduction of economic fines on pro-democratic media houses and with most media houses belonging to Chinese backed organisations, there is a major dearth of independent voices in the country.
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Safety of the journalists
Since the protests in 2019, a huge number of journalists were arrested by the police and in 2021, more journalists were charged by the authorities in relation to national security crimes.
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