Hong Kong court grants interim injunction over online information inciting violence

Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam speaks during a media session in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 5, 2019. [File Photo: Xinhua]

The High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) granted an interim injunction on Thursday to restrain people from disseminating online information that encourages violence, the HKSAR government's Department of Justice said.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the Secretary for Justice as guardian of the public interest applied to the court on Thursday for an ex parte injunction to restrain acts concerning abusive use of internet-based platform or medium.

These acts include willfully disseminating, circulating, publishing or re-publishing on any internet-based platform or medium (including but not limited to LIHKG and Telegram) any material or information that promotes, encourages or incites the use or threat of violence, intended or likely to cause bodily injury to any person unlawfully within Hong Kong, or damage to any property unlawfully within Hong Kong.

The injunction also restrains persons from assisting, causing, counselling, procuring, instigating, inciting, aiding, abetting or authorizing others to commit any of the aforesaid acts or participate in any of the aforesaid acts.

Since June, there have been numerous instances of violent protests and vandalizing acts in many districts of Hong Kong including but not limited to criminal damage to property, assaults of the person, riots and arson.

The use of internet-based platform or medium, given its anonymous and instantaneous nature in communication as well as accessibility, have been abused by some to incite protesters to participate in unlawful activities, to promote the use of weapons and mobilize protesters to damage targeted properties and injure targeted individuals, in particular police officers, the spokesman pointed out.

Such acts have seriously breached public peace, and posed a grave and genuine danger to the police and members of the public, he added.

The interim injunction will remain in force till Nov. 15, 2019, according to the spokesman.