Foreign journalists traveling between Hong Kong and mainland China have been subjected to detentions and searches by China's border officials, who paid special attention to their electronic devices, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) reported on Saturday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) Foreign journalists traveling between Hong Kong and mainland China have been subjected to detentions and searches by China's border officials, who paid special attention to their electronic devices, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) reported on Saturday.
The protests in Hong Kong do not show signs of abating, which makes the city catnip for members of the media, who report on the events, including the confrontations between protesters and the police.
"Journalists traveling through Beijing and Shenzhen have been subjected to such searches, which have in some cases involved detention of several hours. Officials have searched phones, cameras, and laptops belonging to journalists who work for at least five organizations headquartered in North America, Europe and Australia," the organization said in its statement.
The FCCC condemned such actions by the Chinese authorities and advised journalists to be careful on their return from Hong Kong to the mainland.
The mass protests in Hong Kong initially started in early June as a reaction to proposed amendments to the city's extradition laws but over the months have grown into a full-blown opposition movement, demanding not only the withdrawal of the controversial initiative, but also resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, retraction of government's classification of the violent clashes as riots, independent inquiry into the police's actions, releasing everyone arrested in the clashes with the police.
