Hong Kong Journalist Forcefully Disappeared in China for Three Years

Human Rights Research Center

2 minutes ago

3 min read

September 18, 2026

Note: The writer prefers to use the lower case “c” and “p” to challenge the authorities of the Chinese communist party.

HRRC condemns the detention of Minnie Chan and expresses deep concern about her safety and wellbeing. HRRC urges China to follow its laws and reveal her status, location, and the nature of any charges.

Portrait of Minnie Chan from her Facebook [Image Credit: Voice of America] — *Portrait of Minnie Chan from her Facebook [Image Credit:* *Voice of America*]

On September 14, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a news article marking the three-year anniversary of the forcible disappearance of Hong Kong journalist Minnie Chan. Chan, a senior reporter who covers defence issues for the South China Morning Post (SCMP), was last heard from in October 2023 when attending the Xiangshan Forum, a three-day security conference in Beijing, China. She has not been heard from since attending the conference.

RSF believes that her detention is related to national security issues, although the charges have not been publicly disclosed. According to in-country sources, RSF reports that Chan might be facing at least ten years behind bars.

RSF requested comments from SCMP, but SCMP has not yet confirmed Chan’s current employment status or the nature of her detentions and charges. Additionally, SCMP did not confirm whether support was provided to Chan when she was detained.

RSF expressed deep concern about the safety and wellbeing of the reporter. Aleksandra Bielakowska, advocacy manager of RSF Asia-Pacific division, explained that the Ccp was “notorious” for detaining journalists, hinting at potential torture from authorities to extract confessions and residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL), a legal mechanism under Ccp’s Criminal Procedure Law. Bielakowska expressed solidarity with Minnie Chan and urged the international community to press for her release.

Minnie Chan’s detention in 2023 is highly correlated to the 2023 revised Counterspionage Law of the People’s Republic of China (反間諜法). The counter-espionage law expanded the scope of security to any documents, data, cyber space, or critical information infrastructure (such as airports, military bases, or government buildings) that could be considered relevant to China’s national security. The cyber space had a particular focus on cross-border data transfers and foreign government cooperation.

Minnie Chan’s homepage on South China Morning Post lists her most recent article published on November 1, 2023. [Image credit: South China Morning Post, Minnie Chan’s home page] — *Minnie Chan’s homepage on South China Morning Post lists her most recent article published on November 1, 2023.* [Image credit: South China Morning Post, Minnie Chan’s home page]

Although the Ccp did not disclose the nature of her charges, the time of Chan’s detention was close to the enactment of the anti-espionage law. Chan’s research heavily focuses on China’s military posture, nuclear politics, and the movement of the People Liberation Army (the Ccp’s armed wing) in the South China Sea. Her involvement in Ccp’s defense strategies have drawn attention from the Ccp, leading to the belief that her arrest is based on national security concerns.

Chan’s most recent story for SCMP was a report investigating China’s response to the war in Gaza, titled, “What is ‘the most important and urgent task for China’ in the Israel-Gaza war?”, published on November 1, 2023.

Glossary

Ambiguous: Having or expressing more than one possible meaning, sometimes intentionally

Correlate: If two or more facts, numbers, etc. correlate or are correlated, there is a relationship between them

Criminalise: To make something illegal

Detention: The act of officially detaining someone

Dissidents: A person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government

Espionage: The discovering of secrets, especially political or military information, of another country or the industrial information of a business

Extract: To remove or take out something

Forcible disappearance: The arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law

Liability: The fact that someone is legally responsible for something

Notorious: Famous for something bad

Posture: A way in which a government or other organization thinks about and/or deals with a particular matter:

Surveillance: The careful watching of a person or place, especially by the police or army, because of a crime that has happened or is expected

Solidarity: Agreement between and support for the members of a group, especially a political group

References

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Hong Kong Journalist Forcefully Disappeared in China for Three Years

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