Some media blocked from covering Xi's handover anniversary visit to Hong Kong

Media Chinese International

29/06/2022 06:56

By Anne Marie Roantree and Jessie Pang
    HONG KONG, June 29 (Reuters) - Journalists from more than
seven organisations, including Reuters, have been blocked from
covering official ceremonies to mark the 25th anniversary of
Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule that President
Xi Jinping is due to attend.
    A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said the
government was "striking a balance as far as possible" between
the need for media coverage and security requirements.
    "We will not comment on the accreditation outcome of
individual organisations and persons," the spokesperson said,
without elaborating.  
    The Hong Kong Journalists Association said late on Tuesday
that at least 10 journalists from seven or more local and
overseas media were barred from ceremonies on Friday. The
organisation named Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post,
Hong Kong 01, Now TV and Ming Pao, and Agence France-Presse as
among those barred.
    Six sources with direct knowledge of the matter have told
Reuters that journalists with Bloomberg, public broadcaster
RTHK, and state-backed Ta Kung Pao were also rejected. The South
China Morning Post reported that a photographer from the
government's Information Services Department (ISD) was among
those rejected.
    None of the eight media outlets responded to a Reuters
request for comment. Reuters could not immediately confirm which
media have been approved to cover the ceremonies.
    A Reuters spokeswoman confirmed that two of the news
agency's journalists had been barred from covering the handover
ceremony and inauguration of John Lee, saying Reuters was
seeking further information on the matter.
    Initially, the ISD invited media organisations to submit up
to 20 applications each. Reuters applied for six journalists to
cover handover anniversary events on Friday. The ISD informed
Reuters on Saturday that only one person each for two events
could be accepted. 
    Reuters put forward two journalists' names, whose
applications were rejected.
    The blocking of journalists comes as police in the global
financial hub mount an extensive security operation for Xi's
visit - his first known trip outside mainland China in over two
years amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
    Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city
in the wake of often violent anti-government protests in 2019,
sparking international criticism that the freedoms promised the
city at the handover are disappearing.
    Chinese and Hong Kong officials have said the new law was
vital to ensure stability and that individual rights and
freedoms, including media freedom, remain intact.

 (Additional reporting by James Pomfret and Hong Kong newsroom.
Editing by Gerry Doyle)