Hong Kong international press membership scraps prestigious human rights awards

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HONG KONG — For the primary time in 26 years, the International Correspondents’ Membership in Hong Kong suspended its Human Rights Press Awards, within the newest indication of the town’s tense political setting prompting self-censorship amongst establishments.

In an announcement issued Monday, the membership wrote that “vital areas of uncertainty” previously two years — as Hong Kong journalists have been working underneath “‘new crimson traces’ on what’s and isn’t permissible” — was the rationale they suspended the awards, and fears of unintentionally violating the legislation.

“We explored quite a lot of different choices, however couldn’t discover a possible method ahead,” wrote Keith Richburg, president of the International Correspondents’ Membership, including that latest developments could require “adjustments to the membership’s method” to proceed selling press freedom. Richburg is a former Washington Submit correspondent and a present columnist for the paper.

Hong Kong journalist trades his digital camera for a taxi amid media crackdown

The suspension indicators looming concern and uncertainty within the metropolis nearly two years after the passage of the nationwide safety legislation. The safety legislation, which criminalizes vaguely worded acts corresponding to secession, subversion and international collusion, has unnerved establishments and brought about even these whose mission is predicated on safeguarding press freedom to self-censor.

Mary Hui, a reporter at Quartz, was one in every of eight members who resigned from the press freedom committee on the International Correspondents’ Membership on Monday. Hui referred to as the membership’s choice “regrettable and disappointing.”

“By canceling the awards, I believe we ship a relatively worrying message that defending press freedom because the said mission of the International Correspondents’ Membership is now not tenable,” Hui mentioned.

A number of individuals concerned within the group confirmed the driving issue behind the suspension was {that a} handful of this yr’s winners may very well be in breach of the safety legislation. Successful entries included articles from Stand Information, an area information outlet pressured to shutter after nationwide safety police raided the newsroom in December and arrested editors and executives.

Because the legislation was handed, a string of media retailers has closed, together with Citizen Information and Apple Every day.

The FCC has not additional commented on its transfer.

Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Affiliation, mentioned the abrupt cancellation of the awards was “regrettable however comprehensible,” and that the awards have been a “recognition to journalists who poured their coronary heart and soul into their reporting work.”

The announcement of the winners had been scheduled for Could 3, World Press Freedom Day.

The International Correspondents’ Membership was based in 1943 in China then relocated to Hong Kong six years later. It centered its mission on upholding top-notch journalistic requirements and defending press freedom in Hong Kong and throughout the area. The Human Rights Press Awards is among the oldest and most prestigious journalism awards in Asia.

The Washington Submit’s most up-to-date Southeast Asia bureau chief was for a time a member of the group’s board and one of many newspaper’s articles received the award in 2020.

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Posted

April 25, 2022

News

Diana Wells

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