A media watchdog said Wednesday that Hong Kong authorities expelled one of its officials who had arrived to cover the trial of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai.
Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, said Aleksandra Bielakowska was detained for six hours at an airport before being deported.
Bielakowska, a Taiwan-based advocacy officer for RSF, had traveled to Hong Kong to meet with journalists and attend the trial, along with RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau Director Cédric Alviani. But, the watchdog said, authorities at the airport detained, searched and questioned Bielakowska.
A copy of the deportation documents, shared with VOA, states only that Bielakowska’s expulsion is to be “imminent and/or immediate.”
Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns at RSF, told VOA the reason provided to Bielakowska by Hong Kong authorities was vague, and that she had previously traveled there with no problem.
Vincent said that RSF's Alviani had been admitted to Hong Kong but left for safety reasons after Bielakowska was deported.
The team are "now safely back in Taipei," she added.
RSF said it was “appalled” by the treatment of Bielakowska and called for Hong Kong authorities to provide an explanation and guarantee that its team will be able to return to cover Lai’s trial.
“We have never experienced such blatant efforts by authorities to evade scrutiny of court proceedings in any country, which further highlights the ludicrous nature of the case against Jimmy Lai, and the dire erosion of press freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong,” Vincent said in the published statement.
The Hong Kong government’s Security Bureau did not immediately reply to VOA's request for comment.
Bielakowska and Alviani had planned to cover Lai’s trial, which is nearing the 60-day mark. The 76-year-old publisher is accused of sedition and collusion with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law. He has pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, former publisher of the Apple Daily newspaper could face up to life in prison.
The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights, Ben Saul, earlier this year raised concerns about the trial, including alleged use of evidence obtained by torture.
Hong Kong authorities have disputed accusations that the trial against Lai is unfair.
RSF representatives, including Bielakowska have previously traveled to Hong Kong to meet with journalists. In December, members of the watchdog attended the opening of Lai’s trial.
