Two pro-democracy Hong Kong journalists were sentenced in a landmark sedition case. The court rendered decisions specific to the case. Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, operators of the now-defunct website, faced convictions for criticizing China’s crackdown on civil liberties in the city. The pieces they published on the now-defunct website led to their convictions. Chung received a 21-month sentence, while Lam, sentenced to 11 months, was released for medical reasons. The daily publication Best Pencil also faced a guilty verdict and received a fine of HK$5,000 (US$643).
This is the first sedition accusation against a journalist since Hong Kong’s 1997 transition from Britain to China. District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin found eleven Stand News articles seditious and a danger to national security during a protracted trial that began in October 2022. The court noted periodic support for “Hong Kong local autonomy” and attacks on Beijing and Hong Kong.
Although authorities sentenced Hong Kong journalists under colonial-era sedition legislation instead of the more recent National Security Law (NSL), the case has garnered significant attention. Reporters Without Borders and other human rights organizations criticized the sentencing as violating journalistic freedom. The NSL, introduced in 2020, has closed various media outlets, jeopardizing the city’s journalistic freedom.
Human rights activists have expressed concern over the prosecution of journalists, warning of a chilling impact on the press. Critics from all over the world have also expressed their disgust. The city’s press freedom rating has dropped to 135th in the world in the previous two decades, at the bottom of worldwide rankings. Many believe that attacking independent media sources has diminished the news scene.
