Photography in Hong Kong courts or court buildings is prohibited. It’s an offence carrying fines, and in more serious cases, a jail sentence. The long trial of defendants accused of participating in the Mong Kok unrest of 2016 has already seen two suspicious cases of courtroom photography earlier this year. Two weeks ago, the court received an anonymous email containing photos of jury members. A few days after that, as the same trial continued, a mainland woman was found taking photos on her mobile phone. Her defence is interesting, she claims “Jesus says I’m innocent.” And it isn’t just mainlanders who’ve breached this law. The former president of the Hong Kong Law Society Junius Ho took a “selfie” inside the High Court and uploaded it to social media in 2016. A police investigation was launched but the case was dropped on advice from the Department of Justice. And while we’re on the topic of the Hong Kong Law Society, on Thursday evening the more than 10,000 strong organisation elected new council members. One of them is law academic Eric Cheung.

Last month, the Hong Kong Journalists Association released its annual press freedom survey. It says the Hong Kong Press Freedom Index has dropped to a new low of 47.1 on a scale of 100. 70% of journalists surveyed said that press freedom has deteriorated compared to a year ago. Both the public and journalists see pressure from the Central Government as a major factor. This year’s Reporters Without Borders’s World Press Freedom Index also said that the Chinese model of state-controlled news and information is being copied in other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Myanmar is also down six places compared to last year. It ranks 137th in the list. Reporters Without Borders says that the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has lost all credibility in terms of defending the media. Early this month, we spoke to Sonny Swe, co-founder of the Myanmar Times. Established in 2000, it is the oldest privately-owned English-language newspaper in the country.

This year’s Reporters Without Borders’s World Press Freedom Index also said that the Chinese model of state-controlled news and information is being copied in other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Myanmar is also down six places compared to last year. It ranks 137th in the list. Reporters Without Borders says that the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has lost all credibility in terms of defending the media. Early this month, we spoke to Sonny Swe, co-founder of the Myanmar Times. Established in 2000, it is the oldest privately-owned English-language newspaper in the country.