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Hong Kong
CNN
—
A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted two former news editors of publishing inflammatory content on a now-shuttered pro-democracy media website, a ruling rights groups said was another blow to press freedoms in the city as Beijing tightens its grip.
Chong Pui Kuin, the former editor of Stand News, and Patrick Lam Chiu Tong, the paper’s former editor, have been charged under a colonial-era law that has been increasingly used to target dissent following a wave of anti-government protests in 2019.
It was the first case of sedition targeting journalists in Hong Kong since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Their conviction comes nearly three years after hundreds of police officers stormed the independent news site’s headquarters in December 2021 to seize journalistic material, arrest members of staff and force the site to close days later.
Hong Kong, once a bastion of press freedom in China, has seen its vibrant local media scene wither since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city in 2020, with Chinese-language media particularly hard hit.
Outspoken local media outlets, such as Stand News and Apple Daily, have been forced to close in recent years. Many foreign media outlets and NGOs have since chosen to relocate, citing the changing political landscape. However, many international media outlets still operate in the city – and it remains home to many foreign journalists.
Hong Kong and Beijing authorities say the national security law has helped restore stability to the financial hub after massive, often violent, protests in 2019.
But critics counter that what the Chinese Communist Party considers national security crimes are broader and more comprehensive, and often spark political criticism and opposition.
The Hong Kong District Court on Thursday also convicted Best Pencil Hong Kong, the holding company of Stand News, of sedition.
During the trial, prosecutors accused the site of publishing 17 stories critical of the Beijing government, Hong Kong authorities and the national security law between July 2020 and December 2021.
The stories included interviews with former opposition lawmakers and activists — most of whom are currently in prison or living in self-imposed exile, including Nathan Law, who is wanted by the city’s National Security Police.
Lawyers for Chung and Lam said the 17 stories were part of a much broader news story, which included interviews with pro-government voices, and that the news organization was dedicated to practicing balanced journalism.
In a summary of the ruling, Justice Kwok Wai-kin wrote that at the time the stories were published, Hong Kong was in a “heated political environment” and that “many citizens opposed even the Hong Kong government and the central government.” [in Beijing]”.”
The court ruled that 11 of the 17 stories cited were examples of inflammatory content.
“[The court] “Chung is aware that this charge is illegal, and he is consistent with the intent to incite sedition, and provides Stand News as a publishing platform to incite hatred against the central government and the Hong Kong government,” she added, adding that “the articles incited citizens to resort to illegal acts and incited hatred against the judiciary.”
The summary said Lam participated in the same crime when he was acting editor-in-chief of the newspaper. The two men will be sentenced at a later date.
Chong and Lam were convicted of charges stemming from the colonial-era Crimes Act, but the police involved in the case were National Security officers.
Each had already spent a year in prison awaiting trial, a pattern seen in many national security cases, until they were released on bail in late 2022. They face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
During the sentence reduction hearing on Thursday, Lam’s lawyer, Audrey Yu, read a letter on his behalf in which the former editor said he regretted not telling police a single thing after his arrest.
“Journalists should not be loyal to anyone, supportive of anyone, or enemies of anyone,” he wrote in the letter. “If we have a true loyalist, it will be the public, and only the public, because we believe in freedom of the press and freedom of expression.”
In a separate case, Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, known for his support of the city’s pro-democracy movement and his criticism of China’s leaders, faces trial on charges of colluding with foreign powers, a crime under the national security law, as well as sedition. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
In March, Hong Kong passed a second national security law, known as Article 23, which unified sedition crimes and raised the maximum prison sentence from two years to a decade.
The move has sparked further concern among media workers, according to the Hong Kong Journalists Association, which released its annual survey last week.
Its members said press freedom in the city was at an all-time low. All time low Since the association began collecting data in 2013.
“Press freedom in Hong Kong has continued to decline… with many reporters fearing further restrictions as a result of the recently introduced Article 23 national security legislation,” the union said.
The group has come under increasing pressure from authorities in recent years. Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the 2019 demonstrations, a charge the group has denied.
Last month, the association’s president, Selina Cheng, said she was fired from her job at The Wall Street Journal after being elected to lead the association. The newspaper declined to comment on her case, but said she “continues to be a fierce and outspoken advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world.”
Hong Kong leader John Lee, a former police chief, has repeatedly denied that media freedoms are eroding, while urging domestic and foreign press to “tell good stories“About the city.”
In May, Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 135th out of 180 in its annual press freedom index. Its 2023 ranking was a significant drop from 73rd in 2019 and 18th in 2002. China was ranked 179th, according to the press rights group.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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