Hong Kong’s press freedom can be measured by looking at the historical case of sedition. Stand News was one of the last media outlets in the former British colony to dare criticize the government amid a crackdown in Beijing.Law and JusticeHong Kong
The historic sedition case serves as a gauge of Hong Kong’s press freedom. Amid a Beijing crackdown, Stand News was among the last media outlets in the former British colony to dare criticize the government.
Chung Pui-kuen, the former editor-in-chief of Stand News, was sentenced to prison
A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen to 21 months in prison, while former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam was released after his sentence was reduced because of ill health.
Since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, the two journalists were the first to be found guilty of sedition under a law dating back to the colonial era last month.
Chung and Lam were convicted of organizing and distributing seditious materials.
They might have spent two years in prison and been fined five thousand Hong Kong dollars, or roughly $640 or €574.
The landmark sedition case is seen as a barometer for press freedom in Hong Kong. Stand News was one of the last media outlets in the former British colony that dared to criticize authorities amid a crackdown by Beijing.
A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen to 21 months in prison, while former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam was released after his sentence was reduced because of ill health.
Last month, the two were the first journalists to be convicted under a colonial-era sedition law since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Chung and Lam were found guilty of conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications.
They faced up to two years in prison and a fine of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $640; €574).
