A female reporter of Apple Daily was assaulted in a public area near her flat tonight (24th September). The Hong Kong Journalist Association expresses our sympathy to the injuried journalist and strongly condemns the thugs for their complete disregard of the law right before the very eyes of the public. The Association urges the police to conduct serious investigation and bring the thugs to justice as soon as possible.
The female reporter who was assaulted has been doing a lot of live reporting of the anti-extradition protests and was recently “doxxed” and had received suspicious stalking phone calls. At the time of the assault, she was dining with relatives and friends. The thugs suddenly assaulted her, her family and friends were also injured. The thugs mentioned “Fatty Lai” [reference to Jimmy Lai] during the assault. It is obvious that these thugs knew her identity as a reporter.
Hong Kong is a society of the rule of law and violent assaults as such must not be allowed or tolerated. The Association concerns that the assault is an attempt to challenge the freedoms of the press and speech in Hong Kong in a bid to silence journalists. The Association is enraged by such intent. The Association urges the police to conduct serious investigation and protect Hong Kong’s reputation of being one of the safest cities in the world.
Hong Kong Journalists Association
September 24, 2019