National security restricted sites｜Police reportedly ask media to delete photos; government says casual “check-ins” are fine, but photographing entrances for inspection may lead to an order to leave
國安禁地｜傳媒採訪被警要求刪相 政府出稿：純「打卡」沒問題，影門口查察可要求離開
Two pieces of subsidiary legislation enacted under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance designate six locations of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as “prohibited places”. Recently, some media outlets visited the “national security restricted sites”, where police officers recorded journalists’ details, asked to inspect their photographs and, in some cases, allegedly required them to delete photographs. In a press release issued in the early hours of today (the 16th), the government said there was no problem if members of the public were merely passing by to “check in”. If they deliberately photographed the entrance to a prohibited place or its interior in order to inspect the prohibited place, police officers or guards at the prohibited place could, in accordance with the law, require them to leave. The government’s press release did not address whether enforcement personnel were entitled to require photographs to be deleted.
《維護國家安全條例》制訂的兩項附屬法例，包括將國安公署的六個地方列為「禁地」。近日有傳媒到「國安禁地」採訪，有警員記錄記者資料、要求檢查相片，甚至要求刪相。政府今（16日）凌晨出稿表示，若市民路過純粹「打卡」，並沒問題。若故意拍攝禁地門口或其內部情況去查察禁地，警員或禁地守衞，有權根據法律規定，要求市民離開。政府的新聞稿，並未提執法人員是否有權要求刪相