A Hong Kong journalist was arrested Tuesday in a probe linked to a recent documentary she co-produced investigating an attack on democracy supporters by government loyalists, a move her employers described as "chilling".

Public broadcaster RTHK said officers searched producer Choy Yuk-ling's home following her arrest.

Police confirmed the operation on Tuesday evening saying Choy was arrested on suspicion of making an improper application to access car owner details.

RTHK drew a direct link between Choy's arrest and an investigation she co-produced into the "Yuen Long attack" — an assault in July last year by dozens of men armed with sticks on people returning from a protest.

"The show revealed how police were patrolling the town before the rampage and took no action over the men wielding weapons," RTHK said in a tweet announcing Choy's arrest.

"Like everyone else, I am also concerned that this will have a chilling effect," RTHK head Leung Ka-wing told reporters.

Images of the assault in Yuen Long — a town close to the rural border with mainland China — and the police's failure to respond quickly enough was a turning point in last year's huge and often violent pro-democracy protests, further hammering public trust in the force.

In a documentary titled "Who Owns The Truth?", which ran as the one year anniversary of the attack approached, RTHK used footage filmed by witnesses and security cameras — as well as public number plate searches and interviews — to piece together what happened that night.

It uncovered new details about the alleged attackers, some of whom have links to politically influential rural committees that support Beijing.

It also said police failed to respond to the build up of stick-wielding men ferried into the district by specific vehicles that evening hours before the attack.

– Press freedoms slipping –

While police have admitted not responding quickly enough — arguing officers were busy dealing with largescale protests elsewhere — they have vehemently denied any suggestion of collusion.

Police say they have arrested a number of the attackers, some of whom have links to "triad" organised crime gangs. Some fled to the Chinese mainland.

More recently police have arrested some of those attacked by the mob on rioting charges.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association condemned Choy's arrest.

"Seeking the truth is the job of the media," the association said. "The search for license plates is a common investigation method used by reporters."

Hong Kong maintains a publicly accessible license plate database. It is often used by journalists for investigations, including those working for pro-Beijing news outlets.

Modelled on Britain's BBC, RTHK is publicly funded but editorially independent of Hong Kong's government.

Its coverage of last year's huge protests sparked calls from leading pro-Beijing figures to assert more control over its output.

The government has since launched a review of RTHK, a move critics fear will hobble its independence.

Unlike the Chinese mainland, where news is strictly controlled, semi-autonomous Hong Kong has a vibrant media landscape and hosts regional headquarters for many international news outlets.

But its reputation as a free press bastion is fading. Since 2002 Hong Kong has fallen from 18th place in Reporters Without Borders' global press freedom ranking to 80th this year.

Hong Kong man jailed for 'doxxing' police during protests
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 3, 2020 –

A former Hong Kong telecoms worker was jailed Tuesday for publishing personal details of police officers and their families during the huge pro-democracy protests last year, the first such conviction linked to political unrest.

Chan King-hei, 33, was sentenced to two years in jail after being convicted last month of unlawfully obtaining and disclosing personal data stored on computers at his former employer, Hong Kong Telecom.

Publishing personal details online — known as doxxing — became a common tactic used by both sides of Hong Kong's political divide during last year's protests.

Police became a key target for protesters as clashes raged — especially after officers stopped wearing identification badges — while government loyalists have also doxxed Beijing's critics.

During their investigation police discovered personal information, including ID card and telephone numbers as well as residential addresses of officers and their families on Chan's mobile phone.

They also found he had downloaded files from his company's computers.

Some of the personal details were then shared on a Telegram channel dedicated to exposing the personal details of police officers and pro-government figures, the court said.

Hong Kong was convulsed by seven straight months of protests last year calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.

Backed by Beijing, authorities refused concessions and more than 10,000 people were arrested.

The courts are now filled with prosecutions and Beijing imposed a sweeping new security law on the restless city in June.

The measures have snuffed out mass expressions of dissent but the underlying causes of the unrest remain unaddressed.

A 25-year old immigration official is currently being prosecuted for allegedly using government computers to access the personal information of over 220 individuals, including police officers, senior officials, judges and their family members.

A sophisticated and shady website called HK Leaks has also ramped up its doxxing of government critics, especially since the new national security law came in.

HK Leaks has so far posted the personal details of more than 2,000 people it deems guilty of various "misdeeds" against China. Registered on a Russian server, it is specifically designed to evade prosecution, experts say.

"It is saddening that doxxing acts often lead to cyberbullying or even criminal intimidation of the victims and their family members," Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung said following Tuesday's sentencing.