Parkside’s Nigel Kat S.C. is instructed in a private criminal prosecution concerning the dismissal of Ms. Selina Cheng, an award-winning journalist and recently elected chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA).
The case arises from allegations that Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, unlawfully terminated Ms. Cheng’s employment shortly after she declared her intention to run for chair of the HKJA — a position to which she was later elected on 22 June 2024 with strong support from the membership.
The prosecution alleges that Ms. Cheng was pressured to withdraw her candidacy and was ultimately dismissed for her union involvement, in contravention of the Employment Ordinance and the protections afforded under Article 27 of the Basic Law, including freedom of the press and freedom of association.
Following a formal notice of intended prosecution, the Department of Justice has confirmed it will not intervene in the proceedings. The case will therefore proceed to a hearing at the Eastern Magistrates’ Court on 2 July 2025.
As this matter remains before the courts, all allegations are unproven at this stage. Dow Jones & Company is entitled to the presumption of innocence, and the legal process will take its course.
