The conviction of two former editors of Hong Kong's shuttered Stand News demonstrates the “necessity and legitimacy” of their arrests nearly three years ago, a senior national security police officer said hours later. The couple were found guilty of sedition.
Steve Lee, chief superintendent of the police's National Security Department, spoke to reporters outside the county court on Thursday after the sentencing.
He said when police arrested the publication's editors in December 2021, some people said the move was an attack on freedom of speech and the press.
“But today the judge’s decision… clearly demonstrated the necessity and legality of enforcement [action] “The photo was taken that day,” Lee said.
After a delay of almost a year, former editors-in-chief of the Stand News Cheung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam heard the verdict in their case on Thursday afternoon. Cheung appeared in court, while Lam was absent due to health issues.
Judge Kwok Wai-kin, who entered the courtroom only an hour after the verdict hearing was scheduled to begin, said he found 11 of the 17 articles submitted as evidence by the prosecution to be “subversive”.
Among them was an interview with former Stand News journalist turned activist Gwyneth Ho, who in May found guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion regarding her role in an unofficial primary along with other pro-democracy figures, as well as opinion pieces written by self-exiled activist Nathan Lowe and journalism professor Allan Au.
Kwok found that Cheung was responsible for publishing 10 of the 11 articles in question, while Lam was responsible for publishing the remaining article.
Asked outside court about comments that the case could have implications for press freedom, Lee said the verdict lets the public know “what issues we think may violate the law.”
“We don't say what topics or cases can't be reported. We don't do that,” he said in Cantonese. “But if they decide to use inflammatory intent when reporting… that can't be done. It can be punished by law.”
Li attended the verdict hearing on Thursday. When asked by HKFP, he said it was not the first time he had attended a national security court hearing, adding that being there in person gave him a better understanding of the situation.
“A lot of evidence”
Independent online publication Stand News rose to prominence in 2019 for its coverage of the Hong Kong protests. In December 2021, it National Security Police officers stormed the editorial office and seven people associated with Stand News were arrested. Of those, only Cheung and Lam were charged. In the hours that followed, the outlet announced its closed and deleted all its contents.
Lee said the prosecution presented “abundant evidence” during the 57-day trial of how Chung and Lam published articles defamatory of the national security law and “begged” foreign countries to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.
He said other news outlets had published articles on topics similar to the 11 the judge found inflammatory. But the difference was in the “inflammatory intent” of Cheung and Lam, Lee added.
The Chief Superintendent also said that in accordance with Hong Kong law new security lawKnown as Section 23, the maximum prison term for sedition has been increased from two years under a colonial-era law to seven years. The penalty is a maximum of 10 years if a person colludes with foreign forces, he added.
Sentencing was scheduled for September 26, with Chon and Lam allowed to remain on bail until then.
The verdict was handed down on the same day as another a landmark verdict in a separate case heard in the city's High CourtThe trial was the first under the UN (Counter-Terrorism Measures) Order and saw jurors consider the involvement of seven defendants in an alleged plot to kill police officers during the 2019 protests and riots.
Presided over by a jury of nine, one man was found guilty and the other six were found not guilty.
Lee said the trials were “very serious cases involving real violence, explosiveness and a carefully orchestrated plot to kill people.” He did not comment on the verdict itself.
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