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September 26, 2024 – China –
In a stark signal of shrinking press freedoms in Hong Kong, two senior editors from the pro-democracy outlet Stand News—Chung Pui‑kuen and Patrick Lam—have been convicted under the colonial-era Sedition Ordinance. On 26 September 2024, a Hong Kong court sentenced Chung, the former editor-in-chief, to 21 months in prison, and Lam, who had served pretrial custody, received 11 months before time already served and health considerations led to his release.
This marks the first use of the sedition law against media figures since the 1997 handover, escalating concerns about the city’s rapid deterioration in free expression. Authorities accused Stand News of publishing materials that “sided with protesters,” promoted “illegal ideologies,” and fostered disaffection toward the government.
Chung’s sentencing means he may spend another ten months behind bars after his credit for pretrial detention . Lam, who suffers from health issues, had his term reduced, and he was immediately released.
Human rights and press freedom watchers have condemned the verdicts. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called the convictions “openly political” and urged authorities to stop criminalizing journalism. Reporters Without Borders described the ruling as a dangerous precedent, calling for international pressure on the Chinese government to secure Chung’s release. Amnesty International described the sentencing as a “grim blow” to freedom of the press in the city.
Stand News was shuttered in December 2021 after a sweeping police raid and asset freeze, following broader crackdowns on independent media, such as the closure of Apple Daily under the national security law. The sedition verdict, delivered after months-long trial proceedings, formalizes Hong Kong’s shift away from the liberties it once championed.
The case diverges from past defamation or national security charges, marking a chilling judicial pivot toward colonial-era sedition law to suppress dissent. With the press environment increasingly restricted, the sentencing of journalists like Chung and Lam enforces a climate of self-censorship and underscores Hong Kong’s dramatic democratic erosion.
Reference –
https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-stand-news-editor-sentenced-to-21-months-in-jail/a-70327895
