The Hong Kong authorities reported this December 30 that they formally charged charges of “conspiracy to disseminate seditious publications” against two of the seven editors and former collaborators of the digital daily ‘Stand News’. The arrests came under the controversial national security law enacted in 2020. The governments of the United States, Canada and Germany are demanding the release of the journalists.
According to court documents, the two men accused of sedition are the editor-in-chief of ‘Stand News’, Patrick Lam, and the former editor Chung Pui-kuein, who held the same position until last November.
In addition, the official documents indicate that the authorities would prosecute the parent company of the affected digital newspaper, Best Pencil Limited.
The cases were brought to West Kowloon court on Thursday, December 30, and both were denied bail.
If convicted, they could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to HK $ 5,000.
“The two people were arrested yesterday for conspiracy to publish seditious information, contravening articles 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance,” the police said in a statement.
It is a statute that dates back to Hong Kong’s days as a British colony before 1997, when it returned to China with the promise that Beijing would maintain customary Western freedoms for 50 years.
In total, seven people were captured on December 29, after around 200 police officers carried out raids both in the newsroom of the media, as well as in the homes of some of its workers and former employees. Operations in which they seized telephones, computers and documents.
The others have been detained for questioning, according to the Police. Among them, four former members of the board of directors of Stand News.
Pop star and activist Denise Ho Wan, a former board member and one of the most recognized figures in Hong Kong dissent, was released.
As a result of the raids and arrests, the online news outlet ceased operations, closed its social networks and laid off all its employees. A blow to the latest voices openly critical of the Chinese authorities who have increased their control over the semi-autonomous island.
The crackdown on the press and activists has been exacerbated after the entry into force of the national security law, passed on June 30, 2020, which gives Beijing broad powers to crack down on a variety of political crimes, including separatism. and collusion. It is seen as a way to end opposition to the ruling Communist Party in the former British colony.
The United States, Canada and Germany demand that China and Hong Kong respect press freedom
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized the arrests, claiming that by silencing the media, Chinese and local authorities undermine Hong Kong’s “credibility and viability.”
“A secure government that is not afraid of the truth embraces a free press,” said Blinken, who called on authorities to release journalists and stop attacking independent media outlets.
Deeply concerned by the closure of Stand News and related arrests in Hong Kong. A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press. We call on the Hong Kong authorities to stop targeting the independent media and release those unjustly detained.
– Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 30, 2021
The head of US diplomacy added that “freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, and access to information provided by independent media are essential for safe and prosperous societies. These freedoms allowed Hong Kong to flourish as a global center for finance, commerce, education and culture. “
In Canada, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly also denounced the arrests, noting that one of the journalists arrested is also a Hong Kong-born Canadian citizen.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said events showed that “there is a constant erosion of pluralism, freedom of opinion and freedom of the press in Hong Kong, especially since this national security law came into force.”
Carrie Lam and Chinese Government Defend Arrests Against Journalists
Hours earlier, the leader of the Hong Kong Executive, Carrie Lam, justified both the raids and the arrests against communicators, arguing that they were police actions, which were not directed against the media industry.
“These actions have nothing to do with the supposed suppression of press freedom,” he said.
Faced with the West’s demands for his release, Lam replied that: “It must be very clear what news reporting is and what seditious acts or activities are to undermine national security.”
This is the second news outlet in Hong Kong recently forced to shut down, following the apprehension of reporters and directors, and the freezing of its assets.
Beijing refuted the US position and countered with criticism of the extradition request of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after publishing a package of 500,000 secret files on US military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, exposing dozens of irregularities, crimes and excesses.
“If the US government is not afraid of the truth and is confident, why is it seeking the extradition of (Julian) Assange? Why did it not treat (Edward) Snowden as a whistleblower? The US should abandon the hypocrisy and double standards and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, in the name of freedom, “questioned the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian.
The confrontation continues and amid criticism for the cohesion of democracy, the United States also sanctioned five Chinese officials based in Hong Kong after the legislative council elections in the city earlier this month, for reducing autonomy and the freedoms of Hong Kong.
But the Chinese government resists international calls to respect freedom of the press, and Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in recent hours that his country will respond by imposing countermeasures on five Americans, including former Secretary of Commerce Wilbur. Ross, and the chairman of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Carolyn Bartholomew.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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