HONG KONG: While on trial for sedition, Hong Kong editor Chung Pui-kuen became the defiant face of the city’s media over his leadership of Stand News, a now-shuttered news outlet accused of inciting hatred against Beijing.

The 54-year-old served as editor-in-chief of the popular online news portal, which gained prominence for its coverage of Hong Kong’s democracy protests in 2019, as well as the government’s ensuing crackdown.

But in late 2021, police raided Stand’s offices and froze its assets under a sweeping security law imposed by Beijing to quell dissent. Chung and fellow editor Patrick Lam — along with the outlet’s parent company — were charged with sedition.

On Thursday both editors were found guilty, and face up to two years in prison under the colonial-era law. Their trial — originally scheduled for 20 days but lasting nearly 60 — placed Chung’s newsroom under a microscope.

But on the witness stand last year, Chung stood firm, defending Stand News as a platform for diverse viewpoints and a “manifestation of free speech”. “Free speech should include room for fierce criticism,” he testified last January.

“For a society like Hong Kong that is not fully democratic, a robust free speech environment is all the more important.” Business-friendly Hong Kong, a former British colony, was once considered one of the freest places in the world for the media.

It has since plunged in rankings according to an index by Reporters Without Borders, dropping from 18th place worldwide in 2002 to 135th this year.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024