All About Macau reporters could face prison time

Three journalists from the now-shuttered independent media outlet, All About Macau, will face court on 16 July after being charged with disrupting “the orderly proceedings of [Macao’s] Legislative Assembly” last year. 

According to a Lusa report published yesterday, local lawyer Ricardo Carvalho will be representing the All About Macau defendants at the Court of First Instance. The attorney confirmed with the Portuguese-language news service that he was taking on the case, but did not make further comments regarding the trial. 

The three reporters are standing trial over two incidents that occurred at the Legislative Assembly on 15 and 17 April last year.  

The first case involved an All About Macau journalist who began filming in the legislative building despite being requested by the authorities not to do so. She also reportedly became frustrated with being asked to view the Q&A session following Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s policy address via a livestream in an adjoining room, arguing that this prevented her from asking questions. 

Two days later, two other All About Macau reporters found themselves at odds with the authorities when they refused to comply with the government’s request to report from another room a session being held by André Cheong, then the secretary for administration and justice. They were told there was a “limited amount of space” in the main chamber. 

Each of the three journalists has since been charged by the Public Prosecutions Office with “disruption of the operation of organs of the Macau SAR.” If found guilty, they could find themselves behind bars for up to three years under Article 304 of the Penal Code. 

The Public Prosecutions Office has not responded to Lusa’s request for more details about the case. 

The background to All About Macau

First established in 2010, the outlet began life as a print publication before becoming an online platform two years later. It held the distinction of being one of the few independent Chinese-language media companies in Macao willing to touch on sensitive issues such as human rights, homosexuality, childcare, land and urban development through a critical lens. 

On 20 December 2025, All About Macau effectively ceased operations after suspending updates to its website and social media accounts. The company explained that the “difficult decision” was made in response to what it characterised as “resource constraints,” “mounting pressures” and the difficulty of preserving its reporting standards. 

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Its closure coincides with the local government’s tightening of national security rules in recent years. In July 2025, the authorities arrested 68-year-old former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San for collaborating with an anti-Chinese group, saying he was supplying them with “large amounts of false and seditious information.”

Macao’s chief executive maintains that Macao’s mini constitution, the Basic Law, and its press legislation, fully preserve press freedom.