As Hong Kong's protests grew more violent last month, the ABC had sought to profile Yuli Riswati, an award-winning citizen journalist risking her safety to bring updates to Indonesian migrant workers in their own language.

Key points: Migrant and press freedom groups say the Government is censoring Yuli Riswati

Migrant and press freedom groups say the Government is censoring Yuli Riswati Her visa had expired but domestic workers typically renew expired work visas without issue

Her visa had expired but domestic workers typically renew expired work visas without issue Another Indonesian journalist was recently shot and blinded by Hong Kong police

Despite working six days a week as a domestic worker, she had agreed to do an interview.

But when the ABC reached out again, there was silence.

As it turned out, Ms Riswati had been arrested and was being detained in Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre — a facility where abuses including beatings and torture have taken place, according to local lawyers.

Her phone had been confiscated, effectively cutting her off from the outside world for most of the 29 days she was in custody before being deported to Indonesia on December 2.

A protest was held in Hong Kong on December 7 to #StandwithYuli. ( Twitter: @ginkgoesd328 )

Ms Riswati claims to have been strip-searched by a male doctor upon entering detention.

"Even my family has never seen me naked, so I felt like something was taken from me," she said.

A report from the Hong Kong Human Rights Commission in 2008 reported that "strip searches are conducted routinely [by immigration] for people entering or returning to the institution."

The ABC has asked the Government for clarification.

Ms Riswati had moonlighted as a journalist for the Indonesian-language publication Migran Pos, which provides news for Hong Kong's large Indonesian migrant population including how to stay safe amid increasingly violent pro-democracy protests that have frequently paralysed the Asian financial hub.

"Hong Kong is my second home along with Indonesia," she told the ABC.

'Political suppression'?

Before her deportation, Ms Riswati, who has lived in Hong Kong for 10 years, provided an interview to Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao Daily in which she expressed support for the anti-Beijing movement.

Photo from mid-2019 shows Yuli Riswati and prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong. ( Supplied )

"I support the pro-democracy movement because it's not just a struggle for them alone," Ms Riswati told the ABC.

"My friends and I in Hong Kong will be affected by whether or not there is democracy in Hong Kong."

Authorities justified her subsequent arrest and detention on the grounds she did not have relatives or a place to live in Hong Kong, despite her employers writing numerous letters expressing their willingness to offer Ms Riswati ongoing employment, food and accommodation.

While Ms Riswati's work visa expired in July, her employers had provided a contract until 2021.

"What Yuli faced is unusual practice of the Immigration Department and probably unlawful," said Fish Ip, a spokeswoman for the International Domestic Workers Federation in a statement.

Migrant workers have long been politically active in Hong Kong. ( Reuters: Bobby Yip )

"It is clearly a political suppression against Yuli for her writing, for her speaking up for the Hong Kong protesters."

Hong Kong's Immigration Department told the ABC that it "does not comment on individual cases", but that it is authorised to arrest, detain and prosecute "any person who contravenes a condition of stay" in the territory.

It added that in handling each case, it "will take into full account the relevant circumstances in reaching an appropriate decision in a fair, just and impartial manner, and strictly according to all relevant laws and established procedures".

Hong Kong reporters risk injury or deportation

Veby Mega Indah's case has shone light on the safety of reporters covering violent protests in Hong Kong. ( AP: Vincent Yu )

In late September, another Indonesian journalist, Veby Mega Indah, was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by Hong Kong police, blinding her in one eye.

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"Violence against the press in Hong Kong reaches a new high with a reporter being left with a permanent disability," Cedric Alviani, a spokesman for Reporters Without Borders, said of the shooting.

A full-time reporter with Suara Hong Kong News, Indah has vowed to continue reporting from the city.

She recently filed an application to the High Court to have Hong Kong's police commissioner identify the officer who shot her.

Investigating and holding police officers accountable for alleged brutality is one of the five demands of Hong Kong's protest movement.

Some observers see Ms Riswati's case as further evidence of eroding freedom of speech in Hong Kong, as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to tighten its grip over the semi-autonomous territory.

"The information provided by Yuli was very useful for all those who want to get first-hand information from people on the ground, rather than the standard information and warnings from the Indonesian consulate," said Wahyu Susilo, director of the non-profit organisation Migrant Care, in a statement provided to the ABC.

"This case shows that there is a threat to freedom of expression for migrant workers from Indonesia and other countries in Hong Kong, and is a violation of human rights."

Freedom of speech advocacy group PEN International's Hong Kong chapter said in a statement it was "appalled and alarmed" to hear about Ms Riswati's detention.

"We condemn this action which may be intended to intimidate non-permanent residents and deter them from involvement in or documenting and commenting on political events in Hong Kong," it said.

Ms Indah is demanding answers from Hong Kong's authorities. ( AP: Vincent Thian )

Protests have taken their toll on low-paid migrants

According to official figures, there are about 385,000 migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong — a number projected to reach 460,000 by 2030.

A vast majority are women from Indonesia and the Philippines.

While they are vulnerable to poor living conditions, underpayment and abuse, domestic workers like Ms Riswati — known locally as "helpers" — are a significant portion of Hong Kong's cosmopolitan population.

For most migrant workers in Hong Kong, Sunday is their only day off. ( ABC News: Tasha Wibawa )

For many, Sunday is their only day off, and they are known for transforming the streetscape of Causeway Bay once a week while catching up with friends and calling family back home.

With rallies regularly held on Sundays, it has become more difficult even for those wanting to enjoy their limited time off.

Each weekend Hong Kong streets now see heavy police presence. ( AP: Vincent Yu )

Ms Riswati would regularly forgo her time off to hit the streets and report.

"Some migrants don't like Migran Pos because they feel we shouldn't be involved in politics [in Hong Kong]," she told the ABC.

"But most of them feel after reading Migran Post they understand more and can keep safe [amid the protests]."

Stories have emerged of migrant workers being inadvertently caught up in mass demonstrations.

Some have been teargassed and even arrested.

"It feels ironic to watch Hong Kong citizens' bloody fight for democracy, when my country is a democracy but a democracy that is corrupted," said Ms Riswati, whose comments to Hong Kong media came as Indonesia's Government faced large-scale protests in late September.

"If only Indonesians had the spirit of democracy that Hongkongers have, it would be better."

A migrant worker tries on a wedding dress at a weekend market stall in Hong Kong. ( ABC News: Tasha Wibawa )

Back in Indonesia, Ms Riswati said she had "a lot of plans for the future".

"I will definitely keep working as a citizen journalist and writing to tell stories, because it's part of my life," she told the ABC.

Her writing was recognised when she won the Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants in 2018.

"I've already been brave enough to take huge risks," she added.

"There's nothing left I'm afraid of. I'll keep speaking out."

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