Associated Press photojournalist denied entry to Hong Kong after visa renewal rejected
Hong Kong Free Press
An award-winning French photojournalist working for Associated Press has been denied entry to Hong Kong months after an extension of her work visa was rejected by the city’s immigration authorities.
Louise Delmotte, who has been working for the US news agency’s Hong Kong bureau since March 2023, had her visa renewal denied by authorities earlier this year, HKFP has learned.
In an emailed response on Monday, AP told HKFP that authorities did not give a reason for the denial.
“Louise Delmotte is a talented journalist and we are proud of the important work she has done in Hong Kong for The Associated Press,” the news agency said.
“AP continues to have a presence in Hong Kong and is working with Louise on next steps,” it added.
Sources told HKFP on Tuesday that Delmotte was also barred from entering Hong Kong as a tourist on September 14 without explanation. She was sent back to France on a plane a few hours after her entry was denied.
The photographer has won multiple photojournalism awards in the city, including for her exclusive shots of pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai in a maximum security prison last August.
Her photographs of Lai offered a rare glimpse of the tycoon’s life in custody since he was detained in December 2020.
Other notable works by Delmotte include photographs showcasing the city’s Covid-19 quarantine policy and the impact of extreme heat on underprivileged residents.
HKFP also learned that the city’s French Consulate had been “in touch” with authorities about Delmotte’s denied entry to the city.
French nationals are currently allowed to visit Hong Kong for up to 90 days without a visa.
See also: Banned from Hong Kong – a brief history of entry denials at the city’s borders
The Immigration Department said on Monday that it would not comment on individual cases, adding it acted according to the laws and policies in handling cases.
‘No way different’
On Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee was asked about Delmotte’s entry denial at a weekly media briefing ahead of an Executive Council meeting. Lee did not respond to the question at first, only replying after a reporter shouted the question at him at the end of the press conference.
Without directly addressing Delmotte’s case, the Hong Kong leader said entry into the city must be considered in accordance with the prevailing immigration policies and relevant laws. The Immigration Department was acting in the same way as immigration authorities in other jurisdictions by reviewing the characteristics of each entry and examining it in accordance with the policy and the laws, he said.
“Individuals will be considered according to his own case. We are doing it in no way different from other jurisdictions,” Lee said.
History of entry denials
Hong Kong had rejected the entry of several journalists, activists and scholars in recent years. In 2018, the Financial Times reported that its Asia news editor, Victor Mallet, had been barred from entering Hong Kong, weeks after HKFP revealed that the government had refused to renew his work visa.
Mallet’s visa renewal denial and barred entry came after the British national chaired a talk by pro-independence activist Andy Chan at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club that August, despite efforts by Chinese officials to block the event.
More recently, award-winning German journalist, activist and HKU graduate David Missal was was not given a reason for his denial of entry earlier this month. Missal works with the Tibet Initiative Deutschland, which advocates for self-determination in the Chinese region, and co-founded Freiheit für Hongkong, an NGO that works towards a democratic, free Hong Kong.
New system
Earlier this month, the Immigration Department announced the implementation of a new Advanced Passenger Information system “to prevent undesirables, including potential non-refoulement claimants, from boarding flights heading to Hong Kong.”
The new system requires all aircraft operators to transfer data about flights and passengers heading to Hong Kong to the Immigration Department in advance. It comes three years after related changes to the city’s immigration laws sparked fears of entry and exit bans, and it follows the enactment of two security laws – in 2020 and 2024.
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