On June 5, Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA) presented a unanimous verdict granting journalist Bao Choy Yuk Ling’s appeal, revoking all charges laid against her. In an officialstatement, the court said her initial conviction represented a “substantial and grave injustice”.  

Choy was foundguilty in April 2021 on two charges of “making false statements”, under the Road Traffic Ordinance, after allegedly inappropriately searching for vehicle registration data. The journalist hadsearched government records against the vehicle registration data of cars suspected of ferrying weapons and assailants to the 2019 Yuen Long mob attack.  

Of the three intentions available through the database’s website, namely vehicle purchases, legal matters or other transport or traffic-related matters, Choy selected the latter. In this latest ruling, the HKCFAfound the intention of the information to be used in ‘bona-fide’ journalism meant the selection was not false, and therefore did not constitute any ‘false statement’.  

The decision has been widely presented as a victory for press freedom in Hong Kong, with press freedom advocates, journalist representative bodies and Choy’s familycelebrating the decision outside the court.  

Choy unsuccessfully appealed her conviction at the city’s High Court in November 2022, with Justice Alex Leedeliberating that membership databases could not be ‘arbitrarily abused’. Under Hong Kong’s judicial structure, the decision cannot be appealed.  

The IFJ said:“The Court of Final Appeal’s decision represents a rare victory for journalists and press freedom in Hong Kong. Bao Choy should never have been charged for her investigations, and her commitment to overcoming her initial conviction is admirable. While the IFJ welcomes the court’s decision, it urges authorities to respect Hong Kong’s Basic Law provisions guaranteeing press freedom to prevent similar legal cases against media practitioners.”