Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has strongly condemned the imprisonment of Ronson Chan, former chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and former deputy assignment editor of the now-defunct Stand News, after he lost his appeal against a conviction for ‘obstructing a police officer’ and was sentenced to five days in prison. The sentence took effect immediately, according to RSF, which warned the ruling sets a ‘dangerous precedent’ that further erodes press freedom in Hong Kong.

What Led to the Arrest

Chan was initially arrested in September 2022 while reporting on a homeowners’ meeting at a residential estate in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok area for independent media outlet Channel C. According to RSF, a plainclothes police officer attempted to obstruct his reporting, alleging Chan was acting ‘suspiciously’. Chan questioned the officer’s conduct, and it was this interaction that formed the basis of the obstruction charge.

What RSF Said

Aleksandra Bielakowska, Advocacy Manager at RSF Asia Pacific, said: “The imprisonment of Ronson Chan, a leading figure in independent journalism in Hong Kong, on trumped-up charges, demonstrates how far the authorities are willing to go to silence independent media. The verdict sets a dangerous precedent, effectively giving the police a free hand and further eroding already dismantled press freedoms.”

Stand News and the Broader Crackdown

Chan previously served as deputy assignment editor at Stand News, a non-profit Chinese-language outlet once regarded as the second most influential independent media in Hong Kong after Apple Daily. The publication was forced to shut down following a police raid in 2021, during which six journalists were arrested. Editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam were subsequently sentenced to prison terms.

This comes amid a sustained campaign against independent media in Hong Kong. The HKJA, a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting press freedom since 1968, has itself faced what RSF describes as ‘numerous attacks’ over the past decade, including random tax audits, surveillance, and doxing by government and pro-Beijing supporters. RSF noted it remains ‘one of the last remaining independent organisations’ operating in the city.

Hong Kong’s Press Freedom in Numbers

The scale of the crackdown is reflected in RSF’s data. Authorities have prosecuted at least 28 journalists since 2020, with nine currently in detention. Hong Kong has fallen from 18th place in the 2002 World Press Freedom Index to 140th in the 2026 edition. China, which governs Hong Kong under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, ranks 178th out of 180 countries in the same index.

The Chan case is the latest in a pattern of prosecutions that critics argue are systematically dismantling what was once one of Asia’s most vibrant press environments. With the HKJA under sustained pressure and independent outlets either shut down or operating under severe constraints, press freedom advocates warn the city’s media landscape may be approaching a point of no return.