University of Hong Kong obtains court injunction to prevent further council meeting leaks

The University of Hong Kong has obtained what one legal expert called an "all-encompassing" court order to ban media reports detailing information leaked from its governing council.

It secured the injunction yesterday, hours after Commercial Radio aired the second of two audio clips in three days that apparently revealed a pair of council members criticising liberal scholar Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun behind closed doors over his bid for a managerial post.

The radio station, which was named in the order alongside "persons unknown", said it had removed the clips from its website but pledged to "uphold freedom of speech and of the press and the public's right to know, and to protect any source".

Critics feared the injunction "threatened" media freedom in the light of public interest and concerns about possible government interference in the operations of the city's top university.

In a statement last night, HKU said the order covered Commercial Radio and "persons unknown" who had "appropriated, obtained or … intend to offer" confidential information about the council's meetings.

These parties must not use, publish, communicate or disclose to any other person materials including any audio clips, agenda, papers and minutes of the council. They were also barred from publishing any information that might identify any HKU members, including council members, staff and students.