A Hong Kong court sentenced two former news editors to prison on Thursday for conspiracy to publish seditious material, the latest journalists to fall foul of what critics say is a sweeping campaign to stifle dissent in the Asian financial hub.
Chung Pui-kuen, former editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Stand News, was sentenced to 21 months. Judge Kwok Wai-kin considered an initial 14-month sentence for former acting-editor-in-chief, Patrick Lam, but reduced it by three months because he has a serious illness, allowing him to be released immediately, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported
The two are the first journalists to be found guilty of sedition since Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty, with Chung denying the newspaper was politically motivated. Lam declined to testify and did not appear in court to hear the verdict due to health issues.
The two arrived at the district court in Hong Kong's Wanchai district on Thursday morning but the hearing began late and went on for longer than expected after the judge called for a break to consider mitigating statements from their lawyer, according to the AP news agency.
The two faced a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$642) each. Both spent almost 12 months in jail following their arrests in December 2021.
On Aug. 29, after a 54-day trial, a Hong Kong court found the two guilty under laws introduced during British colonial rule. Hong Kong authorities used them for the first time in 2020 when China imposed strict national security laws following huge pro-democracy protests the previous year.
During the trial, lawyers for the Hong Kong government accused Stand News of promoting "illegal ideologies" and smearing the security law and the police who enforced it.
They cited 11 articles, including an interview with democracy activist Nathan Law, which they said were written with seditious intent.
Stand News was founded in 2014 and made a name by live-streaming the 2019 protests and criticizing Hong Kong authorities.
On Dec. 29, 2021, police raided its office, arresting senior staff, including Chung and Lam, and freezing its assets, forcing it out of business.
Months earlier, police raided the pro-democracy Apple Daily, also freezing its assets and forcing it to close.
Its founder Jimmy Lai is on trial, accused of “conspiring to collude with foreign forces” and “conspiring to publish seditious materials.”
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Some foreign news organizations have closed their offices, or moved staff out of Hong Kong amid increasing scrutiny by the authorities.
In March this year, Radio Free Asia said it was closing its Hong Kong bureau, citing concerns for the safety of its staff and actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a "foreign force."
The city's press freedom ranking fell from 73 out of 180 territories and countries in Reporters Without Borders' annual World Press Freedom Index to 135 last year, just above South Sudan.
"Media freedom has been a central factor for Hong Kong's success in the past and is an essential foundation of a free and inclusive society," the Media Freedom Coalition – a partnership of more than 50 countries – said on Sept. 9, in response to the convictions of Chung and Lam.
“To enable media workers to safely fulfill their legitimate role in scrutinizing government policy and actions, journalism should not be prosecuted under the guise of national security.”
Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed government rejects accusations from its domestic critics and Western countries, including the United States and Britain, that it is smothering freedoms in a once-vibrant society.
The city government and Beijing say stability must be ensured and what they see as foreign interference must be stopped to protect the city’s economic success.
Edited by Mike Firn.