![]() This is the court warrant and this is my warrant card. "The charge was conspiracy to publish seditious publications. ![]() Stand News posted a video of police arriving at the residence of Ronson Chan, its deputy assignment editor who is also the head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association. Police officers guard the building of Stand News' office in Hong Kong, Dec. Hong Kong broadcaster TVB said the six people arrested on Wednesday included former board members Margaret Ng, a former democratic legislator, and Denise Ho, a pop singer, as well as acting chief editor Patrick Lam. In June, hundreds of police raided the premises of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, arresting executives for alleged "collusion with a foreign country." The newspaper subsequently shut down. Critics say the legislation is a tool to quash dissent. Sedition is not a crime under the sweeping national security law imposed on the city by Beijing in June 2020.īut recent court judgments have freed authorities to use powers conferred by the new legislation to deploy previously seldom-used colonial era laws, including the Crime Ordinance, which covers sedition.Īuthorities say the national security law has restored order after often-violent pro-democracy unrest in 2019 and that it does not curb rights and freedoms. Hong Kong police previously raided the offices of the now-defunct Apple Daily, seizing boxes of materials and computer hard drives to assist in their investigation and freezing millions in assets that later forced the newspaper to cease operations.Police stand guard outside the Stand News office after six people were arrested "for conspiracy to publish seditious publication," according to Hong Kong's Police National Security Department, in Hong Kong, Dec. ![]() The arrests and raid on Stand News come as authorities crack down on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. A confident government that is unafraid of the truth embraces a free press." Stand News said Wednesday that it would cease operations and had laid off all its staff. "By silencing independent media, (Chinese) and local authorities undermine Hong Kong's credibility and viability. These freedoms enabled Hong Kong to flourish as a global center for finance, trade, education, and culture," Blinken said in a statement. "Freedom of expression, including media freedom, and access to information provided by an independent media are critical to prosperous and secure societies. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Hong Kong authorities to release the detainees. "It should be very clear what is reporting of news, and what is seditious acts or activities to undermine national security." Her comments came after U.S. "Journalism is not sedition, but seditious acts and activities and inciting other people through other acts and activities could not be condoned under the guise of news reporting," she said. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said at a news conference Thursday that the arrests were not targeted at the media. Those convicted could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 5,000 Hong Kong dollars ($640). The seven were arrested under a crime ordinance that dates from Hong Kong's days as a British colony before 1997, when it was returned to China. Apart from Chung and Lam, four other former Stand News board members, including singer Denise Ho and former lawmaker Margaret Ng, were arrested on Wednesday.Ĭhan Pui-man, a former editor at the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper and Chung's wife, was also arrested. The other arrestees have been detained for further questioning. Police also said they would prosecute the company for sedition.Ĭhung and Lam were being taken to West Kowloon court on Thursday, police said in a statement. National security police said they charged two men, aged 34 and 52, with one count each of conspiracy to publish a seditious publication but did not identify them.Īccording to local media reports, the two are Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, who were editors at Stand News, an online pro-democracy news outlet. Hong Kong: Hong Kong police on Thursday formally charged two people from an online pro-democracy news outlet with sedition, a day after the outlet said it would cease operations following a police raid on its office and seven arrests.
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