Latest news with #AleksandraBielakowska
HKFP
22-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Tax audits of Hong Kong independent news outlets are ‘intimidation tactics,' int'l media watchdogs say
Hong Kong authorities' tax audits of independent news outlets are 'intimidation tactics,' two international media watchdogs have said, after a press association revealed that independent media outlets were accused of underpaying tax. The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) said on Wednesday that six media outlets – InMedia,The Witness, ReNews, Boomhead, HKFP, and one that did not wish to be named – have been subjected to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD)'s inspections starting in late 2023. Besides the outlets, the heads, directors and shareholders of the outlets, and two of their spouses, also saw their taxes audited. The Hong Kong Journalists Association itself has also faced a probe. In January, it said the IRD demanded HK$400,000 from the group after reviewing its 2017-2018 accounts. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday condemned the 'intimidation tactic to dissuade independent journalists from reporting.' Aleksandra Bielakowska, advocacy manager of the RSF, said on Wednesday that the tax inspections followed 'media shutdowns' and the 'jailing, harassing and surveilling [of] journalists.' 'Most independent media have been facing this scrutiny. What shocks even more is that also journalists and their families are faced with 'random' tax auditing,' Bielakowska wrote on social media platform LinkedIn. Beh Lih Yi, the Asia programme coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told HKFP that the IRD's move 'preposterous' and a 'weaponisation of financial and tax measures' targeting journalists. She added that Hong Kong was 'taking a page out of the playbook of authoritarian regimes elsewhere that are using similar intimidation tactics.' 'Targeting journalists with tax audits without sufficient evidence not only rings alarm bells for press freedom, but also raises concerns more broadly about Hong Kong as a safe and reliable location to do business,' Beh said. Statement: HKFP, which was 'randomly selected' for an audit in 2024, has always met its tax obligations, paid demands immediately, and ensured meticulous record-keeping. Donor data was withheld in paper submissions to Inland Revenue, with all 'hold' demands reduced to HK$0.… — Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) May 21, 2025 An IRD spokesperson told HKFP on Wednesday: 'The industry or background of a taxpayer has no bearing on such reviews.' In a statement on Wednesday, HKFP said it has been cooperating fully with its tax audit, having 'always met its tax obligations, paid IRD demands immediately, and ensured meticulous record-keeping since our 2015 inception.' Impact on press freedom Selina Cheng, chairperson of the HKJA, said in the press conference on Wednesday that the tax audits had a negative impact on press freedom as it hampered the daily operations of news outlets. 'They have to budget for additional audits, additional legal fees, additional time and energy seeking professional advice,' she said. 'I think, to small organisations and to individuals, that's a significant strain.' She added that the IRD also made errors and 'strange, unreasonable claims' in their auditing. One media outlet had its tax audited for a financial year before it was even established, Cheng said. When asked by HKFP, the IRD did not respond directly to the HKJA's allegations of mistakes. In the annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index, released last month, Hong Kong fell five spots to 140th out of 180 territories. The former British colony, once with a freewheeling press, entered the 'red zone' – meaning a 'very serious' situation for journalism – for the first time in RSF's index. China ranked 178th out of 180. Since the Beijing-imposed national security law came into effect in 2020, dozens of civil society groups have shuttered. Two of Hong Kong's biggest independent media outlets – Apple Daily and Stand News – also saw their offices raided and their top staff arrested. Last year, the HKJA said there was a 'systematic and organised attack' upon the city's media sector, after receiving reports from journalists from at least 13 media outlets saying they or their family members had received anonymous harassment letters. During the press conference on Wednesday, Cheng said the media outlets that were inspected by the IRD partly overlapped with those that faced harassment last year.
HKFP
02-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong falls to 140th in press freedom index with historic low score, entering ‘red zone' for first time
Hong Kong has tumbled five places in the annual Reporters Without Borders Press (RSF) Freedom Index, entering the 'red zone' – meaning a 'very serious' situation – for the first time, alongside China. The city fell five places to 140th place, sandwiched between Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan. China fell six places to 178th place – only North Korea and Eritrea ranked lower. 'At RSF, we have never seen such a sharp and rapid deterioration in the press freedom record of any country or territory,' the watchdog's Asia-Pacific Bureau Advocacy Officer Aleksandra Bielakowska told HKFP. 'Today, Hong Kong increasingly resembles neighbouring China, the world's largest prison for journalists.' Hong Kong saw sharp dips in all five of the watchdog's indicators: political, legal, economic, socio-cultural and legal. The free expression NGO said: 'The main factor behind this decline is the deterioration of the political indicator (-7.28 pts), notably due to the September 2024 conviction for 'sedition' of Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, former editors of Stand News. This is the first sedition case against the media since the UK handed over the territory in 1997.' Ahead of Saturday's Press Freedom Day, Bielakowska told HKFP on Friday that '[i]mprisonment, harassment, doxxing, administrative pressure, surveillance and lack of financial sustainability all define a grim daily reality for the valiant few journalists who decided to stay in the territory. This often leads Hongkongers towards another path: reporting from exile.' She cited the protracted national security case against Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, the enactment of a local security law in 2024 and the fact that hundreds of journalists have fled, with foreign reporters facing 'visa weaponization' akin to China. 'As the situation keeps deteriorating in Hong Kong, we cannot forget about those who, despite the pressure, continue the almost-impossible work of covering stories from within the city. Not only do these intrepid professionals face government pressure, but they also experience a hard time making ends meet,' Bielakowska said. 'They are also often barred from covering official events and entering press conferences. It is clear that authorities are trying everything in their power to dissuade all critical voices from reporting on the ground.' Last April, Taiwan-based Bielakowska was barred from entering Hong Kong. She was detained, searched and questioned for six hours at the airport. The Immigration Department said it would not comment on individual cases. The government has said that press freedom remains guaranteed. In 2022, Chief Executive John Lee said press freedom was 'in the pocket' of Hongkongers but 'nobody is above the law.' Although he has told the press to ' tell a good Hong Kong story,' government departments have been reluctant to respond to story pitches. Norway topped the 2025 index, followed by the Netherlands and Estonia. HKFP has reached out to the government for comment. A 'new low point' In 42 countries – home to 56.7 per cent of the world's population the press freedom situation was classified as 'very serious' by RSF this year, with fewer than 1 per cent of the world's population living in territories were press freedom is fully guaranteed. 'For over ten years, the Index's results have warned of a worldwide decline in press freedom. In 2025, a new low point emerged: the average score of all assessed countries fell below 55 points, falling into the category of a 'difficult' situation,' a press release said. 'For the first time in the history of the Index, the conditions for practising journalism are poor in half of the world's countries and satisfactory in fewer than one in four.' This year's report also warned of economic threats to press freedom, with tech giants having dominance over the dissemination of information and ad revenue: 'These online platforms further hamper the information space by contributing to the spread of manipulated and misleading content, amplifying disinformation,' it said, naming companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. Editorial interference and media ownership concentration had also been a factor in the deterioration of press freedom, with serious threats to media plurality in 46 countries. The index said that 'funding is now directed toward pro-government media' in Hong Kong, Peru and Tunisia. The index also referenced the case of Palestine, where the Israeli army has killed nearly 200 media professionals and imposed a media blackout. RSF uses a scoring system based on a quantitative tally of abuses against media and journalists in connection with their work, and a qualitative analysis of the situation in each country or territory based on the responses of press freedom specialists. Press freedom in Hong Kong Last week, Channel C was the latest independent media outlet to cease operations following financial strife and the arrest of one of its parent company's directors for alleged government loan fraud. Over 1,000 journalists have lost their jobs in Hong Kong, whilst many have emigrated. Meanwhile, the city's government-funded broadcaster RTHK has adopted new editorial guidelines, purged its archives and axed news and satirical shows.
