HONG KONG JOURNALISTS JAILED IN LANDMARK SEDITION CASE
In a groundbreaking ruling, a Hong Kong Court has sentenced two journalists who were at the helm of a pro-democracy newspaper to jail time after being found guilty of sedition last month.
Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, former editors of the now-defunct Stand News media outlet, were convicted for publishing articles that criticized the erosion of civil liberties in the city under Chinese influence.
Chung received a 21-month sentence, while Lam was handed an 11-month term, but was released on medical grounds. The publisher of Stand News, Best Pencil, was also fined HK$5,000 (US$643; £480).
This marks the first sedition case against journalists in Hong Kong since the region’s transfer from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
Following a lengthy trial that began in October 2022 and was initially expected to last only 20 days, district court judge Kwok Wai-kin Kwok ruled that 11 articles published by Stand News were seditious and declared the outlet a “threat to national security”.
Judge Kwok stated that the newspaper’s editorial stance supported “Hong Kong local autonomy” and had turned into a platform to denigrate the Beijing authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government.
Both journalists were prosecuted under an old sedition law from the colonial era, which had seldom been enforced by prosecutors, rather than the controversial national security law (NSL).
Stand News was one of several emerging online news platforms that gained prominence during the 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations.
Rights organizations have criticized the verdict. Reporters Without Borders labeled it “another blow to press freedom in Hong Kong”.
Since the implementation of the NSL in 2020, numerous media outlets have shut down in Hong Kong.
Critics argue that the law undermines the region’s once-respected judicial autonomy, making it easier to penalize protestors and activists. China, however, defends the law as essential for upholding stability.
Stand News was one of the last openly pro-democracy publications before its closure in December 2021, when over 200 police officers raided its office.
Seven employees were arrested for “conspiring to publish seditious content”, including interviews with pro-democracy figures.
During the raid, Hong Kong’s current chief executive John Lee endorsed the police operation, branding the arrested individuals as “elements that threaten press freedom”.
The case has attracted global attention and criticism from Western nations.
The United States has denounced the prosecution of journalists in Hong Kong, warning that the case against the editors “intimidates others in the media”.
The former British colony has witnessed a significant decline in press freedom rankings, dropping from 18th place to 135th in the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders over the past two decades.
Aleksandra Bielakowska, Asia-based Advocacy Manager for the organization, told the BBC that the Hong Kong judiciary has turned into “a political tool used to intimidate those who speak out independently”.
“Similar to China, the regime is attempting to control the narrative and ensure that journalists only portray Hong Kong positively,” she remarked.
“The deliberate targeting of independent media and journalists has created a substantial void in Hong Kong’s media landscape that will be challenging to fill,” she concluded. — BBC
