A Hong Kong court has sentenced Chung Pui-kuen, the former editor-in-chief of the now-defunct pro-democracy publication Stand News, to 21 months in prison for sedition. His colleague, Patrick Lam, the former acting editor-in-chief, received a reduced sentence due to health issues and was subsequently released.
Chung and Lam were convicted of conspiracy to publish seditious materials aimed at inciting hatred against the Central Authorities. The prosecution contended that Stand News acted as a conduit for undermining the Hong Kong and Chinese governments during the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Among the evidence cited were 11 articles published under their editorial leadership, which the judge deemed sufficiently influential given the platform’s substantial following of 1.6 million readers.
This conviction represents the first instance of journalists being prosecuted under Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition law since the region’s 1997 handover to Chinese rule. As per the BBC, the case has significant implications for press freedom in the city.
The trial, which commenced in October 2022 and spanned approximately 50 days, followed almost a year of pre-trial detention for both editors. Post-verdict, the Hong Kong Journalists Association voiced substantial concerns regarding the broader implications for media freedom, a sentiment echoed by Human Rights Watch.
Hong Kong’s press freedom has been increasingly scrutinized, reflecting a broader trend of tightening controls on media and expression in the wake of ongoing national security legislation. The city now ranks 135th out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, down significantly from 80th in 2021, as reported by Reporters Without Borders.
Further details of the sentencing can be found in the original article.