September 25, 2024 - Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Authorities continue their crackdown on press freedom, with their latest target being award-winning Associated Press photojournalist Louise Delmotte. WPF condemns this ongoing repression and calls on Hong Kong to cease its authoritarian measures against the free press.

Delmotte, who worked in the agency’s Hong Kong bureau, was denied a visa renewal earlier this year without explanation. On September 14, she was also refused entry as a tourist and forced to return to France. Her case highlights the increasingly oppressive environment for journalists in Hong Kong, where press freedom is under severe threat.

This arbitrary denial of entry follows a pattern of intimidation, with at least 15 journalists—including Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) chair Selina Cheng—and their associates facing threats.

Delmotte is one of 31 Hong Kong-based journalists whose cases have been documented by WPF in the last five years.