Former Stand News Editor Chung Pui-kuen Sentenced to 1 Year, 9 Months for Sedition
The former chief editor of independent Hong Kong media outlet Stand News, Chung Pui-kuen, has been sentenced to one year and nine months in prison for publishing seditious materials. The sentencing took place at Wan Chai’s District Court, where Chung and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam were found guilty of “conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications.” This marks the first such convictions of journalists since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Chung, aged 55, was handed a 21-month prison sentence. Meanwhile, Lam, aged 36, who had served 10 months in pre-trial detention, was immediately released due to a serious immune system condition. The court took into consideration Lam’s health condition, which required constant monitoring and potential kidney dialysis in the future.
The sentencing hearing, which was attended by around a hundred people including former Stand News reporters, diplomats from the US, the UK, and the EU, as well as members of the public, highlighted the impact of the case on press freedom in Hong Kong. The closure of Stand News in December 2021 following a raid by national security police and the subsequent charges against Chung, Lam, and the outlet’s parent company have raised concerns about the declining state of media freedom in the city.
### The Impact of Sedition Charges on Journalism
During the trial, prosecutors accused Chung and Lam of publishing 17 allegedly seditious articles that aimed to incite hatred and contempt against the Hong Kong government and Beijing. The court found 11 of these articles to be seditious, with Judge Kwok Wai-kin stating that they had caused “potential detrimental consequences to national security.” The articles, which included opinion pieces critical of the authorities, were deemed to have smeared and vilified the Beijing authorities and the Hong Kong government during the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Chung was responsible for publishing 10 of the seditious articles, while Lam was held accountable for one. In his mitigation letter read aloud in court, Lam emphasized the role of journalists in documenting history and defending press freedom through their reporting. The prosecution of Stand News and the subsequent convictions of Chung and Lam have drawn international condemnation, with 23 partner countries expressing grave concerns about the verdict and the broader suppression of media freedom in Hong Kong.
### Press Freedom Under Threat
The convictions of Chung and Lam have sparked fears about the erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong, with international governments and NGOs denouncing the verdict as a sign of deteriorating media freedoms. The Media Freedom Coalition, comprising countries like the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, and Ireland, expressed deep concern over the verdict and the suppression of media freedom in Hong Kong. In response, the Hong Kong government defended its actions, stating that journalists must abide by the law while exercising their freedom to criticize government policies within legal boundaries.
The case of Stand News and the sentencing of its former editors have reignited debates about the state of journalism and press freedom in Hong Kong. The closure of an independent media outlet and the imprisonment of journalists for seditious publications have raised questions about the limits of free speech and the role of the media in a society undergoing political upheaval.
### Conclusion
The sentencing of former Stand News editor Chung Pui-kuen to one year and nine months for sedition, along with the immediate release of former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam due to health reasons, underscores the challenges faced by journalists in Hong Kong. As the city grapples with increasing political tensions and restrictions on press freedom, the case of Stand News serves as a stark reminder of the risks journalists face in reporting on sensitive issues. The international outcry over the convictions highlights the global concern for media freedom and the need to protect the rights of journalists to report freely and without fear of reprisal.
