Commentator denies exposing police meeting details online
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A Hong Kong news commentator accused of breaching the national security law told the District Court that he did not unlawfully expose police intelligence work because details surrounding his meeting with officers were already in the public domain before he spoke about it online. Wong Kwok-ngon, 72, who operated a YouTube commentary channel under the pen name Wong On-yin, is standing trial over allegations that he prejudiced an investigation into national security offences by disclosing details of a police interview. He has also denied a separate charge of knowingly publishing seditious publications linked to videos discussing local and international news. The case is described as the first prosecution in Hong Kong over allegedly prejudicing a national security investigation by unlawfully revealing details of a police interview
Key Points
- Wong Kwok-ngon, 72, appeared in District Court on Friday over national security allegations tied to his YouTube commentary channel run under the name Wong On-yin
- Prosecutors said Wong signed a non-disclosure declaration on December 2, 2025, agreeing to keep everything discussed at the police meeting confidential
- Wong challenged that claim in court, saying media outlets had already widely reported that he was under investigation before he posted online videos
- The meeting took place on the same day Wong and other residents had planned a press conference about the Wang Fuk Court fire that killed 168 people last November
- Wong uploaded two YouTube videos the next day, while prosecutors argued his commentary went beyond fair comment by depicting national security operations as suppression
Why It Matters
The case tests how far a person questioned by national security police can speak publicly about that contact, especially after signing a confidentiality declaration. It also combines disclosure and sedition allegations in a single trial, giving the court a chance to define the boundary between online political commentary and conduct prosecutors say harms national security investigations