Former press union chief Ronson Chan takes appeal over conviction for obstructing police to top court

A Hong Kong journalist who led the city’s largest press union is set to appear at the Court of Final Appeal in a bid to challenge his conviction for obstructing a police officer. Hong Kong Journalists Association chairperson Ronson Chan outside the High Court on Sept. 6, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. When HKFP checked on Monday, Ronson Chan’s case appeared on the Court of Final Appeal website’s list of leave applications, which determines whether a party can appeal a lower court’s decision at the top court. No date has been set for the leave application hearing. Chan was convicted in September 2023 of obstructing a police officer while reporting the previous year and sentenced to five days in jail. The case relates to an incident in September 2022 , when Chan was reporting on a homeowners’ committee meeting at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok. At the time, he was working for Channel C, a media outlet founded by former Apple Daily staff in 2021 after the newspaper was shut down. Channel C folded last year due to financial issues. The Court of Final Appeal. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. While reporting, he was stopped by a plainclothes police officer who said he was acting “suspiciously” and asked to see his identification card. He was arrested after allegedly not complying with requests to present his identification despite multiple warnings. 2019 incident Chan was granted bail after his conviction pending an appeal, during which time he was allowed to leave Hong Kong for the UK for a journalism programme. Last month, he lost his appeal at the High Court’s Court of First Instance, with the judge saying Chan had wilfully obstructed the police by delaying the presentation of his identification. After the verdict was handed down, his lawyer told the court that Chan intended to appeal. Chan, however, still had to serve his sentence immediately. The Hong Kong Police Force headquarters in Wan Chai. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP. A veteran journalist, Chan was chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association from 2021 to 2024. While covering the protests and unrest in 2019 as a senior editor at the now-defunct Stand News, Chan had his identity card displayed in front of a live-streaming camera by police during a stop and search. During the trial, Chan cited the incident as the reason why he was concerned about showing his identification when asked by police. He said he was worried his privacy would be breached. The trial judge, however, rejected Chan’s argument, saying that the police officer was not holding any recording equipment.