Hong Kong journalist union head found guilty of obstructing police

HONG KONG: The head of Hong Kong´s largest journalist union was found guilty on Monday of obstructing police officers during an incident last year when he did not show them his identification card.

Hong Kong police have broad stop-and-search powers and residents have limited legal recourse to object to an ID check. Ronson Chan, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, was stopped by two plainclothes police last September while on his way to report on a meeting of flat owners at a public housing estate.

Police said they arrested Chan after he did not show his ID card and behaved in an “uncooperative” way, despite multiple warnings. Chan said he responded by asking the officer for her details and for the reasons for checking his ID. “The defendant was reckless and obstructed other members of the public... affecting public order,” Judge Leung Ka-kie said in her verdict.