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- Two Hong Kong Journalists Found Guilty of Sedition in Landmark Case
Two Hong Kong Journalists Found Guilty of Sedition in Landmark Case
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Two senior journalists, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, former editors-in-chief of the now-defunct Stand News media outlet, have been convicted of sedition in a Hong Kong court. This verdict marks the first sedition case against journalists in Hong Kong since 1997 and has been widely condemned by rights groups as a crackdown on free speech. The court found that the two journalists used Stand News as a tool to "smear and vilify" the central government in Beijing and local authorities in Hong Kong. The conviction carries a maximum jail term of two years, making Chung and Lam the first journalists to be convicted under this charge since Hong Kong's return to Chinese control in 1997.
The ruling risks inhibiting the pluralistic exchange of ideas and the free flow of information, both cornerstones of the economic success of Hong Kong.
The baseless allegations and verdict of this trial mark a further sinister turn for media freedom in Hong Kong, as it is clear that political commentary and opinion pieces may violate national security.
It even became a tool to smear and vilify the Central Authorities [in Beijing] and the [Hong Kong] SAR Government.
Freedom of speech should not be restricted on the grounds of eradicating dangerous ideas, but rather it should be used to eradicate dangerous ideas.
We renew our call on Hong Kong's authorities to end the continued judicial harassment against two journalists and stop its nefarious campaign against press freedom.
From now on, anyone reporting on facts that are not in line with the authorities' official narrative could be sentenced for sedition.
The journalism cases show something much broader: that there is no rule of law for political cases in Hong Kong anymore.
What has happened to journalists and others is beyond what I would have imagined.
Like in China, the regime is trying to create its own narratives, and make sure that all reporters will be only 'telling Hong Kong's story well'.
The journalists convicted today have committed no internationally recognised crime and their conviction should be quashed.
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sources
- 1.BBC
- 2.The Washington Post
- 3.The Guardian
- 4.The Times
- 5.The Times of India
- 6.France 24
- 7.Agence France-Presse
- 8.Associated Press
- 9.Next Digital
- 10.Stand News
perspectives
- 1.US Foreign Policy
- 2.Chinese Foreign Policy
- 3.British Foreign Policy
- 4.US-China Relations
- 5.Protests
- 6.Authoritarianism
- 7.China under Xi Jinping
- 8.Human rights
- 9.Freedom of Speech
- 10.Hong Kong Retrocession to China
- 11.Hong Kong Democratic Movement
countries
organizations
- 1.Best Pencil Ltd
- 2.Apple Daily
- 3.Reporters Without Borders
- 4.Amnesty International
- 5.Citizen News
- 6.European Union
- 7.Hong Kong 47
- 8.British Foreign Office
- 9.Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
- 10.Committee to Protect Journalists
- 11.Hong Kong Free Press
- 12.Human Rights Watch
persons
- 1.Chung Pui-Kuen
- 2.Kwok Wai-Kin
- 3.Patrick Lam
- 4.Cedric Alviani
- 5.Jimmy Lai
- 6.John Lee
- 7.Ronson Chan
- 8.Sarah Brooks
- 9.Aleksandra Bielakowska
- 10.Allan Au
- 11.Beh Lih Yi
- 12.Catherine West