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Hong Kong Government Rejects Press Freedom Criticism After Jimmy Lai Awarded German Prize
Hong Kong's government dismissed allegations of suppressing press freedom as slander following the awarding of a free speech prize to jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai. The statement came amid reports of a French journalist's deportation and a low ranking in the global Press Freedom Index. Independent media outlets have closed and journalists face arrests under national security laws.
May 3, 2:56 AM·2m read1 source
France 24Audio version
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Hong Kong's government issued a statement on Friday rejecting claims of a crackdown on press freedom as slander, following the awarding of a free speech prize to jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai in Germany. The government accused an anti-China organization of attempting to sugarcoat the criminal acts of Jimmy Lai in its Friday statement.
Authorities also dismissed Reporters Without Borders' latest Press Freedom Index as biased.
Jimmy Lai, 78 years old and imprisoned since 2020, was awarded the Freedom of Speech Prize by Germany's Deutsche Welle on Thursday. The award was given in absentia, and Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year under national security charges. Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index ranks Hong Kong 140th globally, down from 18th when the index was first published in 2002.
Taiwan ranks 28th out of 180 countries, South Korea ranks 47th, and Japan ranks 62nd in the index. France 24 reported that RSF revealed earlier this week that French journalist Antoine Vedeilhe was denied entry to Hong Kong, detained at the airport, and deported back to Paris.
Vedeilhe, a former FRANCE 24 China correspondent now working on a documentary for France Télévisions, has reported across Asia for nearly a decade and covered Hong Kong extensively since 2016, including the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Vedeilhe was stopped at passport control in Hong Kong in November 2025 and escorted directly to a flight back to Paris. Hong Kong immigration authorities provided no explanation or documents for his deportation. Through sources in Hong Kong's immigration department, Vedeilhe was told he was flagged as a foreign agent.
