FCC statement on press access and journalists’ rights in covering Hong Kong protests

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong calls on Hong Kong officials to ensure unfettered press access to those covering demonstrations and to uphold the rights of the media to cover such protests free of violence and intimidation by authorities. Under Hong Kong law, journalists and correspondents have a right to cover such protests.

The FCC expresses grave concern about reports of journalists with visible press identification apparently being targeted by police firing tear gas and using other crowd control measures during the recent demonstrations that resulted from the government’s proposed extradition bill. We condemn any use of force against journalists during the protests, urge an independent investigation of allegations made by journalists and other witnesses of the use of force by police, and call for such investigations to be thorough and transparent.