The journalist who livestreamed the Hong Kong protests’ darkest moment is now a dissident behind bars
By Mary Hui
30 March 2020
A scream. Loud thuds. Then violent shaking as the camera crashes to the ground.
Behind the camera was journalist Gwyneth Ho, livestreaming her own beating as she covered what would later become the Hong Kong protests’ most infamous moment, when a mob of thugs indiscriminately assaulted commuters and protesters inside a train station in July 2019. The attack left her with swollen fingers and a bloodied arm. But she kept the camera rolling, broadcasting the horrific scenes to thousands.
The incident, unfortunate as it was, propelled her to fame. Overnight, Ho became a household name, known as the journalist who got attacked by stick-wielding thugs, only to immediately pick herself up, check to make sure her head hadn’t been cracked open, and continue reporting. People called her “Stand News sister,” a nod to the local news outlet she worked for.
Now the 30-year-old is in jail. She was charged along with nearly 50 other activists last month with subversion, a crime punishable by up to life imprisonment under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
