A representative of Reporters Without Borders was denied entry to Hong Kong on Wednesday while attempting to enter the city on a fact-finding mission about shrinking press freedoms there, the organization said. Aleksandra Bielakowska, a Taipei-based advocacy officer for the group, said she had been detained for six hours at Hong Kong International Airport, where she was questioned and her belongings searched several times. She was later expelled without explanation. Reporters Without Borders, which is based in Paris and advocates on behalf of journalists around the world, said it was the first time one of its representatives had been denied entry or held in Hong Kong. “We are appalled by this unacceptable treatment of our colleague, who was simply trying to do her job,” Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement.

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Persons: Aleksandra Bielakowska, ” Rebecca Vincent Organizations: Borders, Wednesday, Hong Kong International Airport Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris