The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), who accused The Wall Street Journal of firing her over her union role, has launched a private prosecution against her former employer after the Labour Department refused to press charges.

Eastern Court on Thursday for the first time heard Selina Cheng Kar-yue testify that Dow Jones Publishing Co (Asia) fired her for exercising her right to be an officer of a trade union, which she said violated the Employment Ordinance. Cheng was a reporter with the Journal until her termination on July 17, 2024.

She also brought a second charge against her former employer for allegedly preventing or deterring her from exercising her right to become an officer of the union between June 21 and 22 of the same year.

The Post learned her former employer had pressured Cheng to drop out after she informed the company that she was running for the leadership race at HKJA, a contest that eventually saw her elected as chairwoman on June 22.

The court heard Cheng had filed a complaint against Dow Jones to the Labour Department last November, but authorities eventually decided against prosecuting the company after it sought legal advice from the Department of Justice.

Dow Jones was expected to enter into a plea on Thursday, but Kevin Lai, its legal representative, told presiding magistrate Don So Man-lung that the party would need more time to allow the interested parties outside the Hong Kong jurisdiction to attend the case.