Hong Kong: CFWIJ demands justice for blinded journalist Veby Mega Indah

December 6, 2019 -- The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the act of violence Indonesian Journalist Veby Mega faced at the hands of Hong Kong police on September 29, 2019.

On September 29, Indah was among a group of reporters covering one of the hundreds of clashes between armed police and anti-government protesters that have broken out almost daily over the past six months.

Indah who gave an interview to AlJazeera recalled the incident: "I am doing live-streaming that time. At one point, there are some protesters who showed up...the police are aiming at them shooting. I heard somebody, a fellow journalist behind me, yelling, 'Don't shoot! Don't shoot! We all journalists,’”

"A second later, I heard the bang and I saw some smoke from the stairs, then the projectile is coming into my right eye," she said.

Veby has been left blinded since then and despite she has filed a complaint and requested the name of the officer who fired what was believed to have been a type of rubber bullet called a baton round, the authorities are refusing to name the officer. 

Her case illustrates the risks media workers have been exposed to while covering the increasingly violent protests.

An unknown number have been subjected to tear gas, pepper spray, projectiles thrown by both sides and general mockery and verbal abuse.

Indah, 39, works full-time for Suara Hong Kong News, an Indonesian media outlet that serves the thousands of Indonesians working in Hong Kong, as well as their friends and families back home and around the world.

"Justice is so important in my case because this case is not only about me, it's also bringing justice for all the injured people in Hong Kong," she said.

At a November 29 police briefing, spokesman Kong Wing-Cheung denied police were slow-walking Indah's case.

Kong said the office responsible for handling complaints against police has been talking to her lawyer, but that "involves a lot of legal procedures".

The Hong Kong Journalists Association has documented more than 50 cases of journalists who self-reported incidents of police intimidation. The cases range from police shining industrial spotlights at reporters or their cameras so they cannot film, to being pepper-sprayed and fired on with teargas even when they have not been close to protesters.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism deplores the inaction of the authorities concerning Veby’s case. The impunity for the accused must end. We urge the authorities to act in dignity, transparency and respect the rule of law, human rights, and freedom of the press.