Media founder detained following coverage of Prince Edward station incident, prompting renewed concerns from press freedom organizations.
Published On 30 Sep 2026
Hong Kong police detained an independent journalist on suspicion of incitement through the dissemination of false information, according to local media reports.
The detainee, Tang Ho-wing, founder of the online platform Boom News, was arrested early Wednesday morning, as reported by the Hong Kong-based outlet Sing Tao Daily, which also published images from the scene.
Boom News had reported on a gathering held on August 31 to mark the seventh anniversary of clashes at Prince Edward subway station, where protesters alleged fatalities occurred during confrontations with law enforcement.
The outlet, which has garnered over 66,000 followers on Instagram, shared a video containing eyewitness testimony regarding the 2019 unrest.
However, authorities dismissed these claims, stating that rumors about casualties during the incident were unfounded.
The detention underscores growing constraints on press freedom in Hong Kong, exacerbated by the implementation of Beijing’s 2020 national security law and subsequent domestic legislation enacted in 2024.
This tightening grip on media intensified in February when veteran publisher Jimmy Lai was handed a 20-year prison sentence. Additional former staff of his defunct newspaper received terms between nearly seven and ten years.
On Wednesday, police announced the arrest of two individuals suspected of engaging in seditious activities under the 2024 national security framework. While official statements did not disclose names, media sources including the South China Morning Post identified one of those detained as activist Lee Ying-chi.
Prosecutors allege that the arrests relate to an August 31 assembly near a subway entrance where participants lit candles, voiced outlawed chants, and propagated fabricated narratives aiming to vilify government and policing institutions.
In total, six other individuals linked to the same case have since been freed pending further investigation.
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