Originally Hong Kong had freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Observers now fear that Internet censorship will be gradually expanded. Occasion is an article that is blocked.
An article in Singapore’s Chinese-language newspaper “Lianhe Zaobao” can no longer be accessed in Hong Kong. Observers see this as a sign of increasing internet censorship by China. The censored news article is about US President Joe Biden, who compared China’s leader Xi Jinping to a dictator.
While Internet users in Hong Kong cannot access this article and receive an error message, other pages of the news portal in the Chinese special administrative region are still accessible.
Human Rights Watch: “It fits the bigger picture”
The incident is not surprising, says Sophie Richardson of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch: “It fits into the overall picture of the ever-increasing censorship since the introduction of the National Security Law for Hong Kong and Beijing’s general hostility to freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” she says.
“But it is particularly tragic to see this happening in a place that used to be considered a beacon of free speech and free media around the world.”
of China central government expands influence on Hong Kong
Originally Hong Kong had freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Unlike mainland China, which the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders ranks second to last, ahead of North Korea, in its annual press freedom ranking.
But in recent years, China’s central government has continued to expand its influence in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Under the so-called Security Law, which came into force in 2020, almost anything directed against the ruling Communist Party in China can now be punished.
Blocked donation account: Citizens’ Radio stops broadcasting
Originally promised freedoms were increasingly restricted and critical media houses were closed. The most recent case: Citizens’ Radio will stop broadcasting this week after almost 20 years. According to Reporters Without Borders, the independent Hong Kong radio station has been unable to collect donations from its bank account for almost a year because it was blocked.
The last days of a court case against the former anti-government news portal “Stand News” and its employees were just running in Hong Kong. The verdict is expected in early October.
Technical implementation of the censorship unclear
Despite the restrictions on freedom of the press, foreign websites have so far been accessible in Hong Kong with almost no restrictions. Following the recent incident involving the censored online article, observers now fear that strict Chinese internet censorship will be extended to Hong Kong.
It is not known how it was technically implemented to block a single article and not the entire website. It is also unclear whether the pro-Chinese Singapore newspaper played a role in this.