Hong Kong slams attempts to sugarcoat Jimmy Lai’s criminal acts in press freedom index

Lead

The Hong Kong government has condemned attempts by "anti-China forces" and foreign media to "sugarcoat" the criminal acts of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, in a strongly worded statement released in the early hours of Friday. The rebuke came after Lai was awarded the Freedom of Speech Prize by Germany's Deutsche Welle and as Reporters Without Borders released its latest World Press Freedom Index, which ranks Hong Kong 140th out of 180 countries and regions.

In a statement responding to the index and the award, a government spokesman said that "some media organisations and organisations that claim to represent journalists have conflated the criminal acts in the Lai Chee-Ying case with freedom of the press." The spokesman added that they "have even played up different cases to vilify the [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region], with the purpose of misleading the public and defaming [the city's] human rights and rule of law." The statement characterized the index as a "so-called press freedom index" used to "smear" Hong Kong.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the government's reaction has varied in emphasis. France 24's English-language coverage focused on the broader context of Hong Kong's press freedom, describing the statement as part of a wider pattern of intimidation and repression. The outlet also highlighted the case of a French journalist denied entry and deported earlier this month, as well as data showing at least 13 journalists have been denied visas or barred from entering Hong Kong in recent years.

The South China Morning Post, based in Hong Kong, led with the government's condemnation of "anti-China forces" and foreign media, and included the government's defense of the city's press freedom. Both outlets reported the key facts: the ranking of 140th, Lai's 20-year prison sentence, and the government's dismissal of the index as biased. However, they differed in tone and emphasis—France 24 placed the statement within a narrative of escalating restrictions, while SCMP echoed the official response more directly.

Key Claims

• Government condemnation of 'sugarcoating': The Hong Kong government issued a statement on Friday condemning attempts to "sugarcoat" the criminal acts of Jimmy Lai. The statement was reported by both France 24 and the South China Morning Post, and was characterized by the government as a response to the World Press Freedom Index and the Deutsche Welle award.
• World Press Freedom Index ranking: Hong Kong ranked 140th out of 180 countries and regions in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders on Thursday. According to the South China Morning Post, the city ranked 140th in the 2025 index, down from 135th in 2024. France 24 reported the ranking had fallen from 18th when the index was first published in 2002.
• Jimmy Lai's sentence: Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, which Reporters Without Borders described as "the heaviest ever imposed on a journalist in the territory." This fact was reported by both sources.
• Journalist denied entry: A French journalist, Antoine Védeilhé, was denied entry to Hong Kong in November 2025, detained at the airport, and deported back to Paris. This was reported by France 24, which described it as a "turning point" for foreign correspondents. The Hong Kong government did not provide a public explanation at the time of reporting.
• Number of journalists affected: At least 13 journalists have been denied visas, refused renewals, or barred from entering Hong Kong in recent years, according to France 24's reporting. This figure was not independently confirmed by other sources in the provided material.

Perspectives

The Hong Kong government

The government's stance, as articulated in the official statement, is that the World Press Freedom Index is a biased tool used by "anti-China forces" and certain media to "smear" Hong Kong. Officials maintain that the legal proceedings against Jimmy Lai were based on criminal acts, not on his journalistic activities, and that Hong Kong's press freedom remains protected under the law. The statement also accused those who "play up different cases" of seeking to mislead the public and defame the city's human rights record and rule of law.

Reporters Without Borders and press freedom advocates

Reporters Without Borders, which publishes the index, has described Hong Kong as a place where a "draconian national security law" has enabled authorities to imprison independent publishers like Jimmy Lai. The organization has also publicized the case of Antoine Védeilhé, arguing it illustrates a broader trend of pressure on foreign media. France 24's reporting suggests that Hong Kong is increasingly adopting tactics long used by Beijing to restrict foreign journalism, a claim that is attributed to unnamed sources and has not been independently verified.

Journalists and local observers

The denial of entry to Védeilhé, a reporter with nearly a decade of experience covering Asia, has been cited as evidence that press restrictions in Hong Kong are intensifying. Védeilhé himself told France 24 that he was detained for three hours, interrogated, and given no explanation for the deportation, only later learning through sources that he had been flagged as a "foreign agent." These details, while reported by a single outlet, have raised concerns among press freedom advocates about the legal risks faced by both local and foreign journalists in the territory.

This article was compiled from reporting by France 24 and the South China Morning Post. The two outlets provided overlapping but distinct accounts of the events, and where they differed in emphasis or detail, that has been noted.