Ronson Chan, the former chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, began serving a five-day jail sentence on May 29, 2026, after the Hong Kong High Court dismissed his appeal against a conviction for obstructing police officers [1, 2, 3, 4].

Chan was stopped by plainclothes police in 2022 while on his way to report and was arrested after refusing to show his ID and being uncooperative during the stop-and-search [1, 2, 3, 4]. The original magistrate’s 2023 verdict found him guilty of one count of obstructing a police officer and one count of obstructing a public officer, sentencing him to five days in jail [3, 4].

During the incident, Chan questioned a female police officer’s station location. The officer's request to check his ID was deemed reasonable by a judge, who described Chan’s behavior as rude, provocative, and intentionally obstructing police duties [4]. At the High Court appeal hearing, presided over by Judge Lily Wong Sze-lai, Chan was called reckless for obstructing both police and other members of the public, which affected public order [1, 3, 4].

Chan attended the court hearing wearing a black shirt with "Press Freedom" printed on it, underlining his stance on media rights [1, 2, 3]. At 45, he expressed hope that he would be the last person to face legal trouble for press-related activities, stating, "I personally believe that Hong Kong enjoys freedom of the press under the Basic Law, yet time and again, in practice, I have seen that the status of press freedom is truly very low" [1].

His lawyer announced plans to consider appealing the conviction to the Court of Final Appeal [1, 2, 3, 4]. Under current Hong Kong laws, the police hold broad stop-and-search powers, and residents have limited means to legally contest ID checks [1]. Since the enactment of the 2020 national security law, press freedom in Hong Kong has faced increasing constraints, with some journalists jailed or charged since then [1]. In April 2026, Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 140th out of 180 in its World Press Freedom Index [1].

The High Court order on May 29 specified Chan must serve his five-day jail sentence immediately [1, 2, 3, 4].