A Hong Kong courtroom right this moment discovered responsible of sedition two former editors of Stand Information, a former media companion of the Worldwide Consortium of Investigative Journalists that was pressured to close down in 2021 as a part of a authorities crackdown on free press.
Within the first such case focusing on journalists in Hong Kong because the 1997 handover of the previous British colony to China, the courtroom accused former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former appearing editor-in-chief Patrick Lam of approving the publication of 11 “seditious” articles that “supposed to convey into hatred” towards the Chinese language central authorities or the Hong Kong authorities, in response to the decision reviewed by ICIJ.
The articles on the middle of the case have been revealed between 2020 and 2021 and included interviews with a now-detained Hong Kong activist in addition to evaluation written by a former lawmaker in exile on the pro-democracy protests, legislation enforcement and different politically delicate themes.
Any longer, anybody reporting on information that aren’t consistent with the authorities’ official narrative may very well be sentenced for sedition.
— Reporters With out Borders Asia-Pacific bureau director Cédric Alviani
Chung and Lam, who have been detained for almost a yr earlier than they have been granted bail, will likely be sentenced on Sept. 26 and withstand two years in jail and fines of as much as $641, in response to Hong Kong Free Press. Each pleaded not responsible when the trial started in October 2022.
In a mitigation letter submitted to the courtroom and revealed by The Witness, Lam wrote that till the very finish, Stand Information’ editorial workers strived to construct and preserve a media group unbiased from political and enterprise pursuits. They vowed to “communicate up for the powerless, the marginalized and the minority,” even in face of “condemnation and assaults.”
“If we do have an allegiance, it’s, and might solely be, to the general public,” Lam wrote. “It’s because we consider within the freedom of the press and the liberty of speech, and solely the liberty to disseminate concepts can shield everybody’s freedom.”
Reporters With out Borders referred to as right this moment’s verdict “appalling” and mentioned it “units a really harmful precedent for journalists.”
“Any longer, anybody reporting on information that aren’t consistent with the authorities’ official narrative may very well be sentenced for sedition,” Cédric Alviani, the group’s Asia-Pacific bureau director, wrote in a assertion.
On its web site, Amnesty Worldwide mentioned the “dismaying verdict is another nail within the coffin for press freedom in Hong Kong.”
In 2021, Stand Information collaborated with ICIJ on the Pandora Papers investigation, which revealed how dozens of politicians and public officers around the globe used shell corporations in secrecy jurisdictions to defend their belongings from public scrutiny.
As a part of the worldwide collaboration, the Hong Kong information website uncovered the offshore enterprise dealings of two of Hong Kong’s strongest folks, the territory’s former chief executives Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying.
Stand Information and ICIJ discovered that in 2015, whereas Hong Kong’s prime chief, Leung secretly transferred shares he held in an actual property agency’s subsidiary, value greater than $300,000. Leung, who had not responded to ICIJ’s repeated requests for remark, denied wrongdoing and mentioned that, on the time, he was not required to declare particulars of his holding and the deal. He then denounced Stand Information on his Fb web page, claiming that the investigation into his offshore dealings has “ulterior motives.”
Later that yr, in December 2021, about 200 law enforcement officials raided Stand Information’ newsroom, arresting Chung and Lam together with 4 former board members. The closing of the information group — adopted by that of unbiased media outlet Apple Each day and plenty of civic organizations — represented one in all many casualties of the safety crackdown going down beneath Chinese language rule.
In March, the Hong Kong authorities enacted a brand new safety legislation that critics mentioned may additional erode media freedom.
In line with The Witness, a Hong Kong information website specializing in courtroom instances, dozens of individuals, together with journalists; diplomatic workers from the U.S., the U.Okay. and a number of other European international locations; and readers attended the high-profile courtroom listening to.
In an interview, one of many attendees who knew the defendants referred to as the case “stunning.” They “simply wished to do journalism,” she instructed the reporters.
