A Hong Kong court on Thursday found two journalists guilty of sedition for their coverage of China's pro-democracy protests, sparking international condemnation, the Associated Press reported.
According to the Associated Press, StandNews' former editors-in-chief Cheong Pui-keun and Patrick Lam could face up to two years in prison for publishing articles written by pro-democracy activists and journalists between 2020 and 2021. ReportedObservers around the world saw the case as the first involving the media since Hong Kong's return to China in 1997 and was widely seen as an indicator of China's future for press freedom in the city. Increased Gain control of the city in 2020 Controversial National Security Law It allowed the extradition of dissidents to mainland China.
“The sedition conviction of StandNews' editors is a direct attack on press freedom and undermines Hong Kong's once-proud reputation for international openness,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. said Following the news of the guilty verdict, on the 20th, he said, “We call on Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities to restore and protect the rights guaranteed by the Basic Law.” (Related article: Former Chinese spy reportedly exposes tactics used to promote Communist Party policies overseas)
StandNews was a now-closed non-profit publication that was primarily pro-democracy. According to To the Hong Kong Free Press. Hong Kong Residents evaluation In a survey conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019, it was named one of the most trusted online publications.
The paper was shut down in 2021 after police raided its offices and arrested its executives, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors alleged that Peking and Lam spread “illegal ideas” and engaged in acts of treason against the Chinese government. Judge Kwok Wai-ken, who presided over the case, said Stand News had slandered the Chinese government and that convicting journalists is appropriate “when, in the relevant context, speech is deemed to have the potential to damage national security and the intent to seriously undermine the authority of the Chinese central government or the Hong Kong government.”
Anti-China Communist Party demonstrators and activists are protesting against Communist Party policies, its treatment of ethnic minorities, and China's role in Hong Kong and Taiwan. (Photo by Robert Wallace/Robert Wallace/AFP)
'Journalism is not a crime': UK Indo-Pacific Secretary Katherine West Written About X. “Society [and] The economy should be thriving, but Hong Kong has dropped from 18th to 135th. [the] “World Press Freedom Index since 2002”
Britain has had jurisdiction over Hong Kong as part of a 99-year lease, but hand over In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to the People's Republic of China. Before the British government relinquished control over Hong Kong, China had promised Hong Kong considerable political autonomy, but the Chinese Communist Party has since tightened its control over Hong Kong. According to To the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to the Hong Kong Free Press, Beijing changed Hong Kong's electoral system in 2021 to allow only “patriots” who respect the Chinese Communist Party to run for public office. ReportedOnly John Lee has been permitted to run in the 2022 mayoral election.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Mayor Lee implemented reforms in 2023 that reduced the amount of directly elected representatives on the City Council from 90% to 20%. After the reforms, the city's top executive, or the Electoral College, is now responsible for appointing council members.
In addition to the 2020 national security law, Hong Kong residents have seen their voting rights violated, freedom of speech restricted, and dozens of activists and lawmakers arrested. According to The bill was submitted to the Council on Foreign Relations. Lawmakers in London passed legislation in March that would allow the government to detain suspects for up to 16 days without charge and hold trials in private, the BBC reported. Reported.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Basic Law of Hong Kong, enacted after the territory was returned to China, grants Hong Kong people freedom of the press, freedom of expression, the right of assembly and freedom of religion.
China's foreign ministry in Hong Kong hit back at Western criticism, saying the United States and its European allies often turn a blind eye to China's record of repressing the media and use “press freedom” as a political tool to undermine it at home.
“They reported the truth and defended freedom of the press,” Kevin Ng, a Hong Kong resident and former Stand News reader, told The Associated Press.
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