The Hong Kong Journalists Association is deeply saddened and angered by the news of permanent blindness for Indonesian journalist Veby Indah who was wounded by a rubber bullet fired from a police shot gun.

We call on eye witness to come forward to testify for Ms Indah in the legal procedure to come. She will be filing criminal complaints against the Commissioner of Police and the officer. She will also be filing civil proceedings to seek redress.

With our assistance, Ms Indah has been provided with professional legal advice for the coming legal action. A group of volunteers have also been organized to support her during the hospital stay. We shall continue to assist her at our best endeavours.

The association also strongly refuted any suggestion that Ms Indah was not a professional journalist. She has been working for Suara – an Indonesian newspaper in Hong Kong – since 2012. A statement from her employer has described her as “an exemplary journalist, with unswerving dedication to her craft”. She has been reporting on the protest since June.

Ms Indah is a member of the Association and has actively participated in our work as a member of our press freedom committee.