Hong Kong newspaper editor Kevin Lau fights for life after stabbing
Hong Kong newspaper editor Kevin Lau, who became the center of controversy last month after being sacked from his post, is fighting for his life after being stabbed multiple times by an unknown attacker in Hong Kong, police say.
Lau, who was walking to his car at the time of the attack early Wednesday, was left bleeding with life-threatening injuries to a lung, his wife told journalists. The assailant escaped after jumping onto a motorcycle that was being driven by another man, police say.
Last month, journalists were outraged when Lau was suddenly sacked from his post as the chief editor of Ming Pao, a newspaper known for its hard-hitting reporting on China. Over 90% of Lau's staff filed a petition demanding an explanation for Lau's removal, and some Ming Pao writers left their columns blank in protest.
'Outraged'
Hong Kong's chief executive C.Y. Leung issued a statement Wednesday, saying he was "indignant" and "outraged" at the attack on Lau.
"Hong Kong is a society ruled by law, and we will not tolerate this kind of violence," he said.
Hong Kong Journalists Association vice-chairman Shirley Yam said she felt "terrified."
"No journalist should be subject to violence," she told CNN. "I have known Kevin for 30 years and I cannot think of any reason why anyone would try to kill him."
Worrying trend
The attack on Lau comes in the wake of Sunday's demonstration by thousands of Hong Kong journalists to protest what they see as rapidly escalating efforts by China's Communist Party to repress Hong Kong's media.
During the protest many of Lau's former colleagues spoke, saying Lau's dismissal reflected a worrying trend of censorship in the former British colony.
French-based Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 61st worldwide in press freedom in 2014 -- a far cry from its 18th place ranking in 2002, when the surveys were first conducted.
