Ronson Chan Begins 5-Day Jail Term After Hong Kong Court Upholds Police Obstruction Conviction
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 29
Ronson Chan Begins 5-Day Jail Term After Hong Kong Court Upholds Police Obstruction Conviction
16 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 29
Ronson Chan started serving a five-day sentence Friday after Hong Kong’s High Court rejected his appeal against a 2023 conviction for obstructing a police officer.
September 2022 stop-and-search incident underpinned the case: prosecutors said Chan refused to promptly show ID to a plainclothes officer and kept questioning him, while the judge said the evidence supported guilt.
Judge Lily Wong also rejected a non-custodial penalty, saying community service generally requires genuine remorse and Chan had shown none over the encounter.
Steven Kwan, Chan’s lawyer, said a further appeal was under consideration, while the Hong Kong Journalists Association warned the ruling could raise legal risks for reporters stopped by police.
Hong Kong now ranks 140th of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index, after years of media closures, sedition cases and national security prosecutions following the 2019 protests.
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Overview
Ronson Chan, a prominent Hong Kong journalist, began serving a five-day jail sentence after the High Court upheld his conviction for obstructing a police officer. His refusal to show identification stemmed from privacy concerns, especially after a previous incident where police displayed his ID on camera during the 2019 protests. This case highlights growing worries about press freedom in Hong Kong, especially since the national security law was imposed in 2020. The decision against Chan, along with the jailing of other newsroom managers and a sharp drop in Hong Kong's press freedom ranking, signals a tightening environment for journalists and independent media.