A Hong Kong court on Thursday, found two former news editors guilty of publishing seditious content on a now-defunct pro-democracy media platform, Stand News.
According to CNN, rights groups decried the verdict as another significant setback to press freedom in the city, which has faced increasing restrictions as Beijing tightens its control.
The convicted individuals, Chung Pui-kuen, who once served as Stand News’ editor-in-chief, and Patrick Lam Shiu-tung, the publication’s former acting editor, were prosecuted under a colonial-era sedition law.
This law, which had largely been dormant, has seen renewed use against dissenters following the 2019 anti-government protests.
This ruling marks the first sedition case targeting journalists in Hong Kong since the former British colony was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997.
The convictions came nearly three years after a police raid in December 2021, when hundreds of officers descended upon the offices of Stand News.
The authorities seized journalistic materials and arrested several staff members, leading to the media outlet’s closure just days after the raid.
Hong Kong, once considered a haven for press freedom in China, has witnessed the gradual erosion of its vibrant media landscape, especially after the imposition of a sweeping national security law in 2020.
The law has disproportionately affected Chinese-language media. Stand News and the Apple Daily, another outspoken local news outlet, have been forced to shut down.
In addition, various foreign media outlets and non-governmental organizations have relocated their headquarters, citing the deteriorating political climate.
However, some international media organizations continue to operate in Hong Kong, and the city remains home to many foreign journalists.
Both Hong Kong and Beijing authorities assert that the national security law has successfully restored stability in the financial hub following the massive, often violent protests in 2019.
However, critics argue that the definition of national security offenses under the law is overly broad, frequently ensnaring political criticism and dissent.
Alongside the convictions of Chung and Lam, the Hong Kong District Court also found Best Pencil Hong Kong, the holding company of Stand News, guilty of the sedition offense.
Prosecutors during the trial claimed that Stand News published 17 articles between July 2020 and December 2021 that disparaged the Beijing government, Hong Kong authorities, and the national security law. These articles included interviews with former opposition lawmakers and activists, many of whom are currently imprisoned or living in self-imposed exile, such as Nathan Law, who is wanted by Hong Kong’s national security police.
Chung and Lam’s defense argued that the 17 stories were part of a much larger body of work that included interviews with pro-government figures, emphasizing that the publication aimed to maintain balanced journalism.
In a summary of the judgment, Judge Kwok Wai-kin noted that at the time the stories were published, Hong Kong was experiencing a “heated political environment,” with significant opposition to both the Hong Kong and Beijing governments.
The court determined that 11 of the 17 articles in question contained seditious content.
The court’s summary stated, “[The court] rules that Chung is aware and agrees with the sedition intent, and provides Stand News as a publication platform with an intent to incite hatred against the central and Hong Kong government.”
It further argued that the articles in question provoked citizens to engage in “illegal” acts and incited hatred against the judiciary.
The judgment also placed similar culpability on Lam, stating that he shared responsibility for the seditious content when he was the acting editor. Sentencing for both editors will be decided at a later date.
The charges against Chung and Lam stemmed from a colonial-era crimes ordinance, but the case was handled by national security officers.
Both men had already spent a year in jail awaiting trial, a pattern seen in many national security cases, before being granted bail in late 2022. They now face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
During Thursday’s mitigation, Lam’s lawyer, Audrey Eu, read a letter on his behalf, in which he expressed regret for not telling the police one thing after his arrest.
“Journalists do not have to be loyal to anyone, support anyone or be enemies of anyone,” Lam wrote. “And if we really have someone to be loyal to, it will be the public and only the public because we believe in freedom of the press and freedom of speech.”
In a separate high-profile case, Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a vocal supporter of the city’s pro-democracy movement and a critic of China’s leadership, is on trial for multiple charges, including collusion with foreign forces—a crime under the national security law—and a separate sedition charge. If convicted, Lai faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In March, Hong Kong introduced a second national security law, known as Article 23, which consolidated sedition offenses and increased the maximum penalty from two years to ten years in prison.
This new legislation has further alarmed media workers, according to a survey released last week by the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
The survey revealed that press freedom in Hong Kong has reached its lowest level since the HKJA began collecting data in 2013. The trade union warned that the introduction of Article 23 has led many journalists to fear additional restrictions.
The HKJA itself has faced growing pressure from authorities in recent years. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused the association of siding with protesters during the 2019 demonstrations, a claim the HKJA has consistently denied.
The HKJA chairperson, Selina Cheng, stated in July that she was dismissed by the Wall Street Journal after being elected to lead the association. The newspaper declined to comment on her dismissal but emphasized its ongoing commitment to advocating for press freedom in Hong Kong and globally.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee, a former police chief, has repeatedly denied that media freedoms have declined, urging both local 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.
This marked a significant decline from its 73rd position in 2019 and 18th in 2002. In contrast, China was ranked 179th by the press rights organization.
