HK journalists convicted in landmark sedition case
By Carl Samson
A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted two former editors of the now-defunct Stand News in a landmark sedition case that has raised concerns about the future of press freedom in the city. The convictions of Chung Pui-kuen, the paper’s former editor-in-chief, and Patrick Lam, the former acting editor-in-chief, are seen as emblematic of a broader crackdown on dissent and free speech under Beijing’s tightening grip on Hong Kong.
- Details of the case: Chung, 54, and Lam, 36, were charged with conspiracy to publish seditious materials, specifically related to 17 articles published between July 2020 and December 2021. The articles, which included commentaries by exiled activists and journalists, were deemed by the court to have incited hatred against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments. The case brought the first sedition trial targeting journalists since Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. Both editors face up to two years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for Sept. 26. Stand News’ holding company, Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Ltd., was also convicted of the same offense. Lam, who did not appear in court over health reasons, emphasized in a mitigation letter that “the only way for journalists to defend press freedom is to report.” On the other hand, Chung, who spent 36 days on the witness stand, said that Stand News had only “recorded the facts and reported the truth.”
- The big picture: The convictions are a stark indicator of the deteriorating press freedom in Hong Kong, which was once a bastion of free speech in Asia. The trial has drawn international criticism, with U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller labeling the verdict a “direct attack on media freedom.” Critics argue that the case exemplifies the broader clampdown on dissent following the imposition of the national security law in 2020, which has already led to the shutdown of several outspoken media outlets and the exile of numerous journalists. The case also highlighted the chilling effect on the local media landscape, with many journalists now forced to exercise self-censorship to avoid crossing the increasingly perilous red lines set by authorities.
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