Hong Kong detains and deports press freedom group staffer from city

11/4/2024 11:45

        A representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was detained and deported from Hong Kong, the press freedom advocacy group said on Wednesday, describing it as a "new decline" in press freedoms in the Chinese-controlled territory.
        
        The group said in a statement, the staffer, Aleksandra Bielakowska, was detained and questioned for six hours upon arrival in Hong Kong. Bielakowska and her belongings were searched three times according to the statement, before being put on a flight back to Taipei where she is based.
        
        The deportation comes just weeks after Hong Kong enacted new national security laws known as Article 23, targeting crimes including foreign interference, that critics say would further erode freedoms in the city.
        
        The legislation also potentially tightens control over foreign political bodies and organisations operating in the city, through provisions defining "external forces" and outlawing "external interference".
        
        Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say the security law is necessary to plug security loopholes, and will bring stability to the city after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
        
        According to RSF, no specific reason was given for Bielakowska's expulsion, with only a "very vague notice of detention" issued.