Two journalists, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, were convicted of sedition in Hong Kong for their roles at the pro-democracy newspaper Stand News. This was the first time the sedition law had been used against the media since 1997 when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. The prosecution was based on 17 articles published by Stand News that were deemed seditious, inciting hatred or contempt against the Chinese central government, the Hong Kong government, or the judiciary.
Chung and Lam faced up to two years in prison and fines of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars. Stand News was shut down in December 2021 after a raid by national security police and the freezing of its assets. This event followed the closure of Apple Daily, another pro-democracy newspaper. The crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong has led to the decline of press freedom, with many journalists, media outlets, and civil society groups facing pressure and suppression.
The conviction of Chung and Lam sets a precedent for how the authorities may use sedition laws to target journalists and media workers in the future. The use of sedition laws in Hong Kong has been strengthened through new national security legislation, with the maximum penalty for sedition increased to 10 years in prison. The verdict is concerning for the future of press freedom in Hong Kong, as journalists struggle to navigate which topics are safe to report on without facing prosecution. The trial is seen as a warning to journalists and media workers about the potential risks of covering certain issues or individuals that go against government narratives.
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