Hong Kong Journalists Association and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association received a report from the industry that a reporter from Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CR) who was covering civil unrest in Mong Kok early this morning (November 16), suspected that he was shot at by a police officer at close range. The two associations strongly condemn the police for abusing force against journalists, and once again urge Chief Executive to revamp the police force to safeguard press freedom immediately.

According to CR’s report, the CR reporter was shot after filming police shoving other journalists covering the unrest in Mong Kok. While the reporter was shooting, he was smashed by the police and accused of rioting, so he read aloud an officer’s ‘operational call sign’ and planned to film the call sign. Then the police officer tried to stop and arrested him. When the reporter was fleeing the arrest, a gunshot was heard. The reporter did not sustain any injury, but a hole left in his backpack, and a sponge-tipped round was found at the scene.

Hong Kong Journalists Association and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association call on police to look into the incident in Mong Kok seriously, stop any obstruction, interference or violence against journalists, and let frontline journalists perform their duties of defending the fourth power effectively.

Hong Kong Journalists Association

Hong Kong Press Photographers Association

16 November 2019