Hong Kong court to sentence 2 former Stand News editors in landmark sedition case
A Hong Kong court is set to sentence two former Stand News editors in a landmark sedition case that is widely seen as an indicator of media freedom in a city once known as a beacon of press freedom in Asia
HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court is set to sentence two journalists Thursday in a landmark sedition case that is widely seen as an indicator of media freedom in a city once known as a beacon of press freedom in Asia.
Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam were the first journalists convicted under a colonial-era sedition law since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The now-shuttered news outlet was one of last in Hong Kong that dared to criticize authorities as Beijing imposed a crackdown on dissidents following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The closure came months after the demise of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, whose jailed founder Jimmy Lai is battling collusion charges under a tough national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
Last month, the court found Chung and Lam guilty of conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications, along with Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Ltd., the outlet’s holding company. They face up to two years in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $640).
Judge Kwok Wai-king wrote in his verdict that Stand News had become a tool for smearing the Beijing and Hong Kong governments during the 2019 protests. He ruled that 11 articles published under the pair’s leadership carried seditious intent, including commentaries written by activist Nathan Law and veteran journalists Allan Au and Chan Pui-man. Chan, who is also Chung’s wife, earlier pleaded guilty in the Apple Daily case
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