The former chief editor of prominent Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao is in a critical condition after being attacked with a cleaver, officials say.
Kevin Lau was attacked in Hong Kong by two men on Wednesday morning, police said. He suffered three wounds.
The attackers reportedly fled by motorbike.
Mr Lau was recently replaced by a Malaysian editor viewed as pro-Beijing, sparking fears among staff that the paper’s independence was under threat.
Mr Lau’s colleagues called the move to replace him an attempt to muzzle independent-thinking journalists, our correspondent adds.
Police are searching for two men in connection with the attack.
In a statement, Ming Pao said it “strongly condemned the savage act”.
The attacked was condemned by the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC).
“The growing number of attacks against members of the press in Hong Kong needs to be taken seriously by the local administration,” the FCC said in a statement.
“Hong Kong’s reputation as a free and international city will suffer if such crimes go unsolved and unpunished,” it added.
Since being replaced, Mr Lau has been working in an online subsidiary of Ming Pao’s parent company.
On Sunday, thousands in the city marched on the streets calling for press freedom.
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