The arrest of veteran journalist Allan Au is a further blow to press freedom in Hong Kong

Today, the Hong Kong national security police arrested Allan Au, a veteran Hong Kong journalist, for allegedly conspiring to publish seditious materials under colonial-era sedition laws.

Allan Au worked as a senior producer at TVB News and a radio host on RTHK, and previously was a columnist for outlets including Stand News and Ming Pao. Allan Au was fired from RTHK in June 2021 amid a government-directed editorial overhaul. His arrest is reportedly linked with the Stand News case in which the platform's former editor-in-chief Chung Pui Kuen and former acting chief editor Patrick Lam were arrested and are currently held in custody pending trial under the same charge.

The arrest of Allan Au comes just two days after the prominent pro-democracy activist in exile, Ted Hui, revealed that the Hong Kong Police have frozen the Hong Kong based assets of his family, and in the same week that the former Chief Secretary and Security Minister, John Lee, was anointed as the new Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

Commenting on the arrest, Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive, said:

“Coming in the same week that the former police officer and security minister, John Lee, was anointed as Carrie Lam’s successor, the arrest of Allan Au confirms what many of us feared, that Beijing will continue its crackdown on human rights and press freedom in the city.

The international community must condemn this latest attack on the free press in Hong Kong, and work to pressure China and the Hong Kong Government to stop targeting journalists and to release political prisoners in Hong Kong.”

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資深傳媒人區家麟被捕，是對香港新聞自由的進一步打擊

香港警方國安處在今天拘捕資深傳媒人區家麟，指他涉嫌干犯「串謀發布煽動刊物罪」。

區家麟曾在無綫新聞擔任資深監製及在香港電台擔任節目主持，亦曾在立場新聞及明報等媒體撰寫專欄。在2021年6月，區家麟被香港電台解僱，當時香港電台正整治編採方向。據報區家麟被捕，與立場新聞案件有關。立場新聞前總編輯鍾沛權及前署任總編輯林紹桐早前因同一罪名被捕，目前正還押候審。

在區家麟被捕的前兩天，正在流亡的著名民運人士許智峯指香港警方凍結了其家人在香港的資產，在同一個星期，前政務司司長李家超宣佈參選下一屆行政長官。

在評論區家麟被捕事件時，香港監察行政總裁羅傑斯表示︰

「在前保安局局長李家超被欽點參選特首及成為林鄭月娥繼任人的同一個星期，區家麟被捕，印證了我們的擔憂︰北京將繼續打壓香港的人權和自由。

國際社會必與譴責香港政府打壓新聞自由，並向中國及香港政府施壓，要求他們停止針對記者及釋放香港的政治犯。」