Hong Kong Court Convicts 2 Journalists in Landmark Sedition Case

in a pivotal case that has drawn International attention a Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted two former editors of Stan news a now defunct news Outlet on charges of sedition this case is widely regarded as a significant indicator of the future of press freedom in a city once celebrated as a Bastion of free speech in Asia the two editors Chung puy former editor-in-chief and Patrick lamb former acting editor-in Chief were arrested in December 2021 both men pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious Publications the trial which began in October 2022 is Hong Kong's first involving the media since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 Dan news was one of the last remaining media outlets in Hong Kong that openly criticized the government amidst a broader Crackdown on descent that followed the massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 the outlet was forced to shut down just months after the closure of the pro-democracy Apple Daily Newspaper whose founder Jimmy lie remains imprisoned and is currently fighting charges of collusion under a sweeping National Security Law enacted in 2020 Chung and lamb were prosecuted under a colonial AA Edition law that has been increasingly employed to silence descent if sentenced they could face up to 2 years in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars about $640 for a first offense best pencil Hong Kong Limited the holding company behind Stan news was also convicted on the same charge though it had no Representatives during the trial judge quac wein in his written judgment described Stan news as having become a tool Force smearing the Beijing in Hong Kong governments during the 2019 protests he stated that a conviction was warranted when speech was deemed to have caused potential damage to National Security and intended to seriously undermine the authority of the Chinese central government or the Hong Kong government case centered on 17 specific articles with prosecutors arguing that some of the writings promoted illegal ideologies or criticize the National Security Law and Law Enforcement Officers judge quac ruled that 11 of these articles carried seditious intent including commentaries penned by activists Nathan law and respected journalists alen o and Chan puan notably Chon is Chong's wife the remaining six articles which included interviews with pro-democracy the ex-lawmakers Nathan law and Ted H were found not to have seditious intent Chung remained composed after the verdict while lamb due to health reasons did not appear in court both men were granted bail pending sentencing which is scheduled for September 26 defense lawyer Audrey euu read a mitigation statement from lamb where he emphasized that Stan news aimed to uphold fully independent editorial standards the only way for journalists to defend press freedom is reporting you quoted lamb as saying Chung's mitigation letter was not read out in court but local media reported that he expressed a commitment to accurately recording and Reporting the stories and beliefs of Hong Kong residents who despite not being journalists have suffered loss of Freedom due to their commitment to community freedoms accurately recording and Reporting their stories and thoughts is an inescapable responsibility of journalists he wrote courtroom was packed with dozens of residents and reporters who lined up to witness the verdict which had been delayed multiple times for various reasons including awaiting the outcome of another landmark sedition case among those waiting was Kevin ing a 28-year-old risk management professional who had been a regular reader of Stan news they reported the truth they defended press freedom in said of the editors lamenting the loss of critical voices in Hong Kong's media landscape after the outlet shutdown following Stan news closure in December 2021 after a police raid involving more than 200 officers another Independent News Outlet Citizen news also ceased operations citing the deteriorating media environment and potential risks to its staff Hong Kong has seen a sharp decline in press Freedom with its ranking dropping from 80th in 2021 to 135th in the latest World Press Freedom index by reporters Without Borders The ongoing political Crackdown has led to increased self-censorship among journalists a trend likely to be exacerbated by a new security law enacted in March which has raised further concerns about the erosion of press freedoms Francis Lee a journalism and communication professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong commented on the ruling noting that it appears to be drawing lines on what constitutes seditious content he warned that articles taking a one-sided political stance being highly critical or lacking a factual basis could now be considered smearing which differs from how journalists typically approach their work journalists may have to be more cautious from now on Lee remarked Eric lie a research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian law described the ruling as consistent with the anti-free speech Trend that has prevailed since the 2020 national security law came into effect criminalizing journalists for carrying out their professional duties the convictions have drawn International criticism with us State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller calling the verdict a direct attack on media freedom however Eric Chan Hong Kong's Chief secretary for administration defended the government's stance insisting that journalists who base their reporting on facts would not face restrictions on their freedom Steve Lee Chief superintendent of the police National Security Department also defended the enforcement actions taken 3 years ago which had been criticized by some as a suppression of Free Press claiming that the Court's ruling Justified those actions as Hong Kong's media landscape continues to shrink under the weight of these legal actions the world watches closely to see how these developments will affect the future of press freedom in the city playful parade will continue to provide updates on this and other important stories as they [Music] unfold for