Hong Kong authorities recently denied an Irish journalist based in the city from getting a visa after an independent local news outlet hired him to work for them. The move marks the latest in a series of attacks on political freedom in the city after the controversial legislation passed.
Hong Kong's new security law
The order also sparked concerns among activists and media personnel on how the new security law is conducting a crackdown on media operating within the region. The new law states that authorities should strictly regulate them.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong police raided the offices of one local newspaper outlet several weeks earlier, which supported anti-government protesters calling for a change in the current administration and moved to arrest the agency's owner.
Living in Hong Kong since 2015, Aaron McNicholas was hired by Hong Kong Free Press. This English-language news site is widely known for featuring aggressive coverage of the independent city's government and its officials.
On Tuesday, after waiting for almost six months, McNicholas's visa application to transfer to his new employer was denied, and no explanation was given as to why. The news was revealed by the editor-in-chief of the online publication, Tom Grundy.
Grundy believes McNicholas was explicitly targeted and singled-out as an indirect blow to Hong Kong Free Press. He said that the agency was a local news outlet whose new editor was an Irish journalist. Grundy added the incident was not merely another case of China's retaliation against the United States over trade disputes.
During last year's anti-government protests in Hong Kong, McNicholas was very active on social media and gave commentary on the surge of demonstrations that ravaged the city for several months. His latest work history includes Bloomberg and Storyful, a part of News Corp, which owned the Wall Street Journal.
Also Read: Hong Kong Police Arrest Pro-Democracy Publisher Jimmy Lai in Newest Purge of New Security Law
Blatant disregard of press freedom
Grundy noted that other news media outlets and individuals working in the press sector should expect to be subjected to similar treatments in light of the new security law passed in Hong Kong. He warned businesses that denial of visas was a decision and not a bug in the system, as reported by Aljazeera.
In July, Hong Kong authorities denied an Australian reporter his visa application for the New York Times amid the rising tensions of back-and-forth retaliation with the United States government over press freedom and mistreatment of journalists.
Both countries had since worked to expel several journalists over the heated arguments. Still, McNicholas's case is the first known incident of the move affecting a local, non-US news media outlet.
The Committee to Protect Journalists's (CPJ) Steven Butler said that the denial of McNicholas's visa application to a local media news outlet based in Hong Kong is a jarring disregard of the most fundamental principle of press freedom the city's government has long-since implemented.
Butler said that the move also severely undermined Hong Kong's independence and image as an international city and financial center. He said the city heavily relied on journalists doing their work properly to thrive and flourish.
According to CNN, a lawyer representing Hong Kong Free Press, Michael Vidler, said immigration officials gave no reason why McNicholas's visa application was denied. Vidler noted the Irish journalist's application was straightforward as he was already approved to work in the city and only applied for a transfer to a new employer.
