Ronson Chan was arrested on September 7 while covering a housing meeting in an apartment building in Hong Kong. Police allege he refused to provide identification and behaved in an “uncooperative” manner despite multiple warnings, and he was charged this week. Chan has pleaded not guilty, saying he was within his rights to ask police for identification before producing his own. In a court appearance on Thursday, Judge Peter Law granted Chan bail ahead of his next court hearing in April 2023. He was not barred from traveling abroad, a result that appeared to surprise Chan. Wearing a black “freedom of the press” T-shirt, Chan said he didn’t have a chance to identify himself as a reporter before the arrest, so “it’s hard to completely connect it to freedom of the press.” “But I think it’s an ironic reflection of the state of the press that while some in the industry were at a national day reception, the president of the journalists’ union was in court.” Chan is to attend a six-month journalism fellowship at the Reuters Institute at Oxford University, starting next week. In a statement, Institute director Rasmus Nielsen said they look forward to welcoming Chan in October. “He is a distinguished and experienced journalist with a lot to share, and everyone here is looking forward to hosting him.” As part of his conditions of release, Chan will have to inform the police of his address and contact details once in the UK. An ongoing crackdown on dissent and free expression in Hong Kong has brought thousands to court, including journalists, activists and politicians. For those charged under the National Security Act, the presumption of bail was reversed, leaving most defendants in jail on remand, with some waiting more than a year to see trial. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In the past, some individuals targeted by the crackdown have fled abroad, including former lawmaker Ted Hui, who fled to the UK on bail before settling in Australia. Press freedom in the city has plummeted and Hong Kong’s press association is under pressure to disband, accused of being an anti-China organization with links to foreign actors. Additional reporting by Verna Yu
