The 2014 cleaver attack on Ming Pao's former editor-in-chief heightened concerns about press freedom in Hong Kong.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- 26 February 2014
- Location
- Lei King Wan, Hong Kong
- Reward offered
- HK$3 million for information on perpetrators
- Arrests made
- Eleven people arrested in connection with the attack
- Sentences handed down
- Two suspects sentenced to 19 years imprisonment on 21 August 2015
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Kevin Lau had recently served as editor-in-chief of Ming Pao, a Hong Kong daily newspaper known for independent reporting. His removal from that post and the subsequent attack were widely interpreted by local journalists as part of broader pressure on Hong Kong's free press, though no direct evidentiary link to his editorial work was established in court.
On the morning of 26 February 2014, two men attacked Kevin Lau in Lei King Wan, Hong Kong, inflicting serious cleaver wounds to his back and legs. He required emergency surgery. Police and commentators characterised it as a triad-style assault intended to maim rather than kill.
Thousands rallied to condemn the attack, and the legislature unanimously passed a motion denouncing the violence. Eleven suspects, some with triad links, were eventually arrested. In August 2015, two were sentenced to 19 years in prison. The judge found no direct evidence tying the assault to Lau's journalism but called for stronger protections for journalists.