An award-winning Hong Kong journalist went on trial on Wednesday for accessing car ownership details on official databases during an investigation into the perpetrators of an attack on democracy supporters by government loyalists.

The prosecution of Bao Choy, a producer with public broadcaster RTHK, has deepened concerns over press freedoms as Beijing moves to stamp out dissent in the wake of huge democracy protests.

Some of Choy's colleagues gathered outside court on Wednesday holding banners that read "Journalism is not a crime" and "Without fear or favour".

Choy pleaded not guilty to two counts of "knowingly making a false statement" to access numberplate ownership records on Hong Kong's vehicle database.

She faces up to six months in jail and a HK$5,000 fine ($640) if convicted.

The database searches were made for an RTHK documentary last year called "Who Owns The Truth?" that looked into an attack on democracy protesters by a gang of men armed with clubs and sticks.

The police's failure to respond quickly enough to the July 2019 assault was a turning point in the huge and often violent pro-democracy protests that year, further hammering public trust in the force.

RTHK used footage filmed by witnesses and security cameras — as well as public number plate searches and interviews — to piece together events.

It uncovered new details about the alleged attackers, some of whom have links to politically influential rural committees that support Beijing.

It also said police failed to respond to the build up of stick-wielding men ferried into the district by specific vehicles that evening hours before the attack.

Choy was arrested after the documentary aired in November.

Hong Kong maintains a publicly accessible licence plate database that has long been used by journalists, including pro-Beijing news outlets.

But authorities announced that a rule change that had been quietly introduced no longer allowed journalists to make searches.

On Wednesday prosecutors said Choy clicked "other traffic and transport related matters" on the online form to justify her searches.

"Visiting the addresses and seeking to do interviews about the car and its use on a certain day is not related to traffic and transport — neither is news reporting," prosecutor Derek Lau said.

Defence lawyer Derek Chan countered that her search was "related to traffic and transport matters" because she was trying to uncover who supplied weapons for the attackers.

"The car was seen transporting some weapons to the scene and the application was trying to figure out who might be using the car," Chan added.

All media is state-controlled in authoritarian China while foreign reporters face heavy restrictions.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong remains a major Asian media hub with a vibrant local press and many international outlets hosting regional headquarters there.

But the city has steadily slid down media freedom rankings since its return to China in 1997.

Since the democracy protests, Beijing has cracked down on opponents, imposing a sweeping national security law and unveiling plans to ensure only "staunch patriots" run Hong Kong.

Hong Kong 'speedboat fugitive' charged with security crime
Hong Kong (AFP) March 24, 2021 –

A Hong Kong democracy activist who made a failed escape to Taiwan by speedboat was charged with a national security crime on Wednesday, a day after he was returned to the city by Chinese police.

Andy Li, 30, was one of 12 "speedboat fugitives" who were picked up by Chinese coastguard last August as they made a bid to escape charges linked to taking part in 2019's democracy protests.

They were jailed in mainland China for illegal border crossing and eight of them were returned to Hong Kong custody on Monday after serving their sentences.

On Wednesday police said Li had now been charged with colluding with foreign forces, one of the crimes outlawed in a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong last year.

He was also charged with conspiring to assist criminals and a count of possessing unlicensed ammunition, according to a statement.

Li's case is linked to that of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media tycoon who is currently in custody on national security charges because he allegedly advocated for sanctions against Hong Kong.

Li was first arrested in the same operation that targeted Lai last year but he then made his failed attempt to flee.

China and Hong Kong's authorities have used the national security law to hammer the city's democracy movement after 2019's huge and often violent demonstrations.

More than 100 people have been arrested under the law since it was enacted in June.

Most of those charged are denied bail. The maximum penality for those convicted is life in prison.