Freedom of expression can be the mother of all human rights. Empowerment of the press reporting freely is an inherent part of that freedom. When trying to undermine this freedom, governments demonstrate their fear of truths being made public. When they cannot handle the truth and resort to repressive tactics, their weakness is exposed, and credibility lost.
Freedom of expression is linked to many other fundamental human rights. This is because, if any of the rights is violated, freedom of expression allows the victims and public at large to speak out against those violations. Journalists play an important role in sharing facts and information with the public. When governments tend to suppress freedom of the press, especially through the use (or rather abuse) of special laws like national security laws, they are in fact undermining the principles of transparency and good governance. In Hong Kong there has been increasing efforts made by the government to undermine freedom of the press. The raid on Apple Daily offices and the police trying to define who is or who is not a journalist are signs of it. Undermining the role of professional bodies like the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) is a slap in the face to freedom of the press. These are worrying signs unheard of in the recent history of Hong Kong. Hong Kong authorities cannot continue to ignore global and local reactions to such actions. Once again, such actions are tarnishing the image of Hong Kong as a free and fair international financial hub.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) has highlighted the importance of freedom of the press and the need to combat impunity. The UNESCO states, “Promoting the safety of journalists and combatting impunity for those who attack them are central elements within UNESCO’s support for press freedom on all media platforms. On average, every five days a journalist is killed for bringing information to the public. Attacks on media professionals are often perpetrated in non-conflict situations by organised crime groups, militia, security personnel, and even local police, making local journalists among the most vulnerable. These attacks include murder, abductions, harassment, intimidation, illegal arrest, and arbitrary detention.” UNESCO links protection of press freedom with impunity for a good reason. It is often the states that attack the press and they often do so with impunity—exempting government agencies from being responsible for such attacks. In other words, many such government agencies are not held legally responsible and/or punished. Such a culture encourages government agencies, especially the police, to continue to exercise arbitrary and violent actions against journalists.
In conflict situations or during social unrests, journalists take extraordinary risks to report the truth. They also work under challenging conditions, for example, being sandwiched between the police in riot gear and protesters in the middle of tear gas attacks while covering the event on the ground. They are in fact important witnesses of the situation unfolding on the spot. When there are judicial proceedings with relation to the arrested, photos and video footage by journalists are essential evidence. For decades, the press in Hong Kong has been reporting freely. They have been adapting themselves courageously to new conditions and taking calculative risks to report protests on the streets, especially during the last 15 months or so. They have been taking their jobs seriously and reporting diligently. The ability to live-stream on social media has been providing the public with unrestricted access to tense and violent situations. Through media outlets, the public has been seeing violence, including gang violence and state violence, unfold on the streets and in subway stations. There were multiple occasions on which the police deliberately tried to brush cameras aside when they were arresting or subduing a protester. Aiming flashlights at cameras of journalists was clearly intended to obstruct their view. Then, the police often used riot gear such as shields to push the media away or cover violent or excessive force on protesters, often when police officers were pinning protesters to the ground. If the Hong Kong Police Force(HKPF) is to say that they did not use violence or excessive force, here is a simple question: why did they try to cover such actions from media? It is common sense that one tries to hide something he does not want others to see. If they acted legally, within the guidelines, enforcing internationally known norms, then why would they hide what they did? We can ask the same question about the police wanting to define who is a journalist and who is not. There is a legitimate body in Hong Kong to do that. When they try to do that, the intention is clear—the HKPF does not want many journalists around when they are in action. This is also an attempt to limit reporting of facts and truths.
The HKPF was not known for attacks on journalists until the outbreak of recent protest movement. Now, there have been attacks not only on journalists but also medical and social workers who tried to help the people in need. When the police force in action suddenly turned violent, arbitrary and seemingly out of control, journalists and their cameras have become their enemies. In other words, journalists have become the targets of teargas and rubber bullets. Is that why they are always being pepper-sprayed at an awfully close range? An Indonesian reporter lost one eye due to a rubber bullet fired by the police. A journalist was forced to remove her gas mask and later detained for not showing her ID to a policeman who himself was allegedly not wearing an ID in violation of the law. In general, attacks on journalists were evident.
The UNESCO further states that “impunity for crimes against the media fuels and perpetuates the cycle of violence and the resulting self-censorship deprives society of information and further affects press freedom.” The UN Secretary General stated last year that “when journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price” as “no democracy is complete without press freedom”. He went on to say, “work [of journalists] reminds us that truth never dies, and that our attachment to the fundamental right that is freedom of expressions must also never die… Informing is not a crime.” When a regime becomes authoritarian and allowing of its institutions going out of control, then the plain truth can be the biggest enemy. Freedom of expression ensures the truth is revealed and shared. What Hong Kong Authorities need to do is not to give more powers to its fast deteriorating police force, but rather come up with measures to restrain them. Allowing the press to report freely means free flow of facts and the truth. If the Hong Kong leaders still claim there is rule of law in Hong Kong, then they had better not fear the truth and let the journalists cover it.
