Journalist David Missal has won a Human Rights Press Award for a mini-documentary published by Hong Kong Free Press.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Master of Journalism student took home a prize in the Student Video & Audio (English) category on Thursday for a video about Chinese human rights lawyer Lin Qilei. Lin, who represented activists and religious practitioners, told Missal that he was “prepared to be imprisoned.”
Chinese authorities refused to renew Missal’s student visa last year after he submitted the project for his master’s programme at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University.
HKFP then shared his mini-documentary in full. He was later accepted onto a course at HKU’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre.
‘Risk their lives for justice’
During the ceremony at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Missal said he wanted “to understand how human rights defenders in China live, what they fear, what they dream of.”
He added that he had no resentment over his studies in Beijing being interrupted following the visa rejection: “A lot of people asked me: Do you regret to do this project? And my answer usually was: No. Because I had the chance to meet these very brave people who, every day, risk their own life for justice. People like Li Wenzu, Xie Yanyi or Lin Qilei.”
“I hope, with this kind of work, with this kind of award, more people will be able to understand the situation of human rights defenders in China. And, most importantly, I hope it also will be some kind of protection for Lawyer Lin and all the others who are confronting the Chinese government with its faults.”
Missal told HKFP that he may return to Germany after his studies and consider a career as a journalist, NGO worker or diplomat.
Bin jetzt offiziell ein “ausgewiesener” China-Experte (Wortspiel!)… Didn’t get a new visa, probably because of doing a homework about human rights lawyers. Have to leave China until Sunday. pic.twitter.com/LNwzEERgiH
— David Missal (@DavidJRMissal) August 8, 2018
Other winners on Thursday included Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. They were honoured with an award for Best Investigative Feature Writing for their work on the military atrocities against Myanmar’s Rohingya minority.
”The winners in full – click to view.”
Winner
China’s Crackdown on Student Labour Activists
Sue-Lin Wong and Christian Shepherd of Reuters
Merit
Forced Labour in Xinjiang
Emily Feng of Financial Times
On the Eve of Freedom, A Glimpse Inside Liu Xia’s Flat
Becky Davis of AFP
Winner
Myanmar Burning
Wa Lone, Kyaw Soe Oo and their colleagues of Reuters
Merit
A Chronicle of the Crime Fiction that is Adityanath’s Encounter Raj
Neha Dixit of The Wire
Conflict, Conscription and a Cover-up: The Killing of Six TNLA Medics
Clare Hammond, Victoria Milko and Kyaw Lin Htoon of Frontier Myanmar
Winner
Tracking China’s Muslim Gulag
Philip Wen, Olzhas Auyezov, Thomas Peter, Christian Inton and Simon Scarr of Reuters
Merit
Template for Hate
Rohini Mohan of Harper’s Magazine
Sum of Her Parts: Why are the Majority of Living Organ Donors in India Women?
Sohini Chattopadhyay of The Hindu (India) and The New York Times
Winner
Why Singapore’s Moves to Curb ‘Fake News’ May Backfire
Kirsten Han
Merit
Rakhine: Time for a New Approach
Thomas Kean of Frontier Myanmar
Winner
Growing Up Too Fast in Afghanistan
Andrew J Phillips and Preethi Nallu of Al Jazeera English
Merit
Unhappy Holidays
John Sudworth, Kathy Long, Lily Lee and Wang Xiqing of BBC News
Winner
China’s Hidden Camps
John Sudworth, Kathy Long, Lulu Luo and Wang Xiqing of BBC News
Merit
Student/Trafficked: The Final Chapter
Elroi Yee, Shanjeev Reddy and Satpal Kaler of R.AGE
Brides and Brothels: The Rohingya Trade
Karishma Vyas of Al Jazeera English
Winner
Series: Laos Dam Collapse
Mike Ives, Ben C. Solomon, Richard C. Paddock, Julia Wallace, Choe Sang-Hun, Muktita Suhartono, Rick Gladstone, Len Leng, Maea Lenei Buhre, Ryn Jirenuwat and Tim Wallace of The New York Times
Merit
Too Many Men
Annie Gowen, Simon Denyer and Jasu Hu of The Washington Post
Sichuan Earthquake, 10 Years On: How a Tragedy Changed China
Sarah Zheng, Choi Chi-yuk and Magdalene Fung of South China Morning Post
Merit
Periods: Addressing a Taboo and a Need of the Underprivileged
Supriya Chhetri, Gianna Aquino, Janina Rika and Karrie Lam of MSS Messenger, Marymount Secondary School
Winner
Lawyer Lin
David Missal of Hong Kong Free Press
Winner
Liu Xia Arrives in Germany for Treatment; Fulfilling Liu Xiaobo’s Last Wish; Freedom in the End
China Section of Apple Daily Hong Kong
Merit
50 Arrested in Jasic’s 3 Month Labour Movement; Supporters Say State Media Faked News About Foreign Instigators
Chen Yi Qin and Fong Sim Chu of Ming Pao
Edward Leung and 6 Others Charged for Inciting Riots in Mong Kok’s Conflicts
Tai Ching Hei of CitizenNews
Winner
The Storm of Human Trafficking at Sea
Lee Hsueh Li Sherry and Chiang I Ting of The Reporter
Merit
Series: Scandal of the Shatin to Central Link
Investigation Section of Apple Daily Hong Kong
“Save our Kids”: Examining Child Abuse Issues
Yip Kit Ming of CitizenNews
Winner
Taiwan: Dangerous Island for Immigrant Workers
Chien Yung Ta of The Reporter
Merit
Outcry Behind Bars
Chan Ping Ting of The News Lens
Lawyers Dealing with Poisonous Milk Powder and Problematic Vaccines, What Are They up To?
Qin Kuan of Initium Media
Winner
Three Secretaries for Justice Sought External Advice on Ten Cases Unrelated to Staff; Grenville said Teresa Cheng Didn’t Understand the Policy of Briefing Out
Ng Yuen Ying of CitizenNews
Merit
“We Are Not Here for Fun” – A Reporter’s Mission
Tsai Ching Hua of Opinions@CommonWealth
Merit
When Fishing Ground Exploitation Meets International Labour Organisation: Has Taiwan Sensed the Alarm from Cape Town
Sung Chen En Raymond of The Reporter
Winner
District Councils’ Proxy Votes
Yeung Leung Kit of CABLE News
Merit
Government Department Fails to Offer Interpreters in Accordance to Guidelines
Leung Ho Ying of CABLE News
Winner
The Book Merchant
Cheng Sze Sze of RTHK
Merit
The Buried Truth
Chan Wai Li Gary and Hui Siu Fun of NowTV
The Melamine Scandal, Ten Years On
Chui Man Kit and Jerran Lin of CABLE News
Winner
The Confession of Rights Lawyer Wang Yu
Chan Miu Ling of RTHK
Merit
The Vanished Liberal Think Tanks
Chan Miu Ling of RTHK
Series: Sichuan Earthquake, 10 Years On
Chau Chi Wing of RTHK
Winner
MeToo in Taiwan: Stories of Three Migrant Workers
Ho Po Chun, Hou Liang Ju, Lin Huan Cheng, Chen Wei Chou, Chen Ting Jen, Wu Yi Jing, Wang Shih Chuan, Hu Tsu Wei, Hsueh Ho Chi, Keng Shih Ting and Wang Wen Ting of Apple Daily Taiwan
Merit
Unavoidable Currents – Survey of China’s #MeToo
Yang Zi Qi, Yang Yu, Jin Qiu Feng, Tseng Lee Yu and Rango Zhu of Initium Media
Winner
Half a Century of Heavy Metal Pollution Gives Villagers Deformed Limbs
Liu Dicksa Isabelle, Lam Sum Yi, Shen Qing and Cheung Tung of U-Beat Magazine, CUHK
Merit
40 Years After the Yau Ma Tei Boat People Resistance: The Chronicle of Unlawful Assembly
Yu Ka Hin, Ng Wing and Yiu Wing Tung of U-Beat Magazine, CUHK
Inheriting Domestic Violence – How to Escape the Grip of Fate
Kan Hiu Wai, Ng Tsz Kiu and Ng Wing of U-Beat Magazine, CUHK
Winner
Autism – A Long Way to Integration
Au Sin Yi, Chan Chun Yiu, Kwok Wing Yee and Ng Chun Chun of U-Beat Magazine, CUHK
Winner
Underground Church in China
Lam Yik Fei of The New York Times
Merit
Rohingyas in No Man’s Land
Ye Aung Thu of AFP
Winner
The Looted Honor
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan of Ilta-Sanomat
Merit
Where a Taboo is Leading to the Deaths of Young Girls in Parts of Western Nepal
Tara Todras-Whitehill of The New York Times
Winner
Three Defendants
Tsang Hin Chung of Ming Pao
Keynote speaker Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of the Philippines-based news outlet Rappler, said that threats to press freedom were growing across Asia: “Your reporting matters. Now more than ever. We need to hold the line, and show the best of human nature. That is our hope for the future.”
The 23rd Human Rights Press Awards saw a record 468 entries – up 13 per cent from last year.
The Hong Kong Free Press #PressForFreedom 2019 Funding Drive seeks to raise HK$1.2m to support our non-profit newsroom and dedicated team of multi-media, multi-lingual reporters. HKFP is backed by readers, run by journalists and is immune to political and commercial pressure. This year’s critical fundraiser will provide us with the essential funds to continue our work into next year.
