Wing Kay Po

Opinion | Hong Kong ranks ahead of the US and France for its rule of law, but will the Victor Mallet visa case affect its standing?

Wing Kay Po says Hong Kong has fared better than many jurisdictions in adhering to the rule of law. But the government’s unprecedented rejection of a journalist’s visa, following a thinly justified ban on a separatist party, does not bode well for the city

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A statue representing Justice is displayed on the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. Photo: EPA

Wing Kay Po

Published: 12:00pm, 9 Oct 2018Updated: 7:47pm, 9 Oct 2018

The Hong Kong government recently refused to renew the work visa of Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet. How does the government fare in this regard when compared with others?

Carl David Goette-Luciak is an Austrian-American reporter. Until last week, he was working in Nicaragua, covering the political upheaval and bloodshed that had arisen since April from the widespread opposition to the government of President Daniel Ortega. Last week, Goette-Luciak was arrested by law enforcement officials for allegedly attending illegal protests. He was then deported.

Just about a month earlier, a United Nations human rights mission sent to monitor the deteriorating political situation in Nicaragua was expelled after publishing a report that was critical of the pervasive repression.

Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet arrives at the Hong Kong International Airport on October 8 after he was denied a visa renewal. Photo: Edmond So

The expulsion of foreign journalists and researchers whose work displeases ruling governments is not uncommon. Other recent examples include: in May 2017, the Indonesian government deported two Swedish journalists, Vilhelm Stokstad and Axel Kronholm, after they covered a public protest in Jarkata; in the same month, Mauritania expelled two French citizens, human rights advocate Marie Foray and journalist Tiphaine Gosse, who had been researching slavery and racism in the country.