Hong Kong’s Police National Security Department has formally pressed charges against two staff members of Stand News, as well as the organisation itself, for allegedly conspiring to publish seditious content.
According to the authorities, the two men – aged 34 and 52 – were found to be in contravention of sections 9 (seditious intentions) and 10 (offences that comprise seditious intentions) of the Crimes Ordinance, that was put in place when Hong Kong was still under British rule. They were to be produced before the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday afternoon.
While the men have not been named in the official statement, local media reports suggest that it might be the media outlet’s former editors-in-chief, Patrick Lam and Chung Pui-kuen.
Meanwhile, Denise Ho, pro-democracy singer and former member of Stand News, was released from custody on Thursday. She was seen walking out of court 36 hours after being taken into custody.
Lam, Ho, and Chung were three of the six Stand News staff members arrested on Wednesday, after a raid was conducted at the premises of the non-profit news outlet by over 200 national security officers. The others who were apprehended were Chow Tat-chi, former director and ex-chief editor of the science section, former board member Christine Fang, and barrister Margaret Ng.
Head of Hong Kong Journalists Association, Ronson Chan, was detained as well to “assist investigation” though he was not arrested.
Lam resigned from his post shortly after and the media house ceased operations that same day. Stand News also wiped its social media footprint from the internet. However, tons of journalistic material that belonged to the now defunct organisation were carried away by the police department.
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While multiple foreign news publications criticised the Hong Kong authorities for curbing the freedom of the press, a government spokesperson slammed the international coverage, especially the American media, for its “slandering remarks on the enforcement actions taken in accordance with the law.”
The law in question is the Beijing-imposed national security law passed by Hong Kong in 2020 in the wake of the civil disobedience movement that broke out in the former British colony in 2019. It is aimed at censoring voices that endorse, support, glorify, encourage, or incite activities that might “endanger national security.”