Hong Kong prepares for pivotal verdict in Stand News sedition trial

Two Hong Kong journalists, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, will soon learn their fate in a landmark sedition trial that has captivated the city and the world. The former editors of the now-defunct Stand News face up to two years in prison if convicted under Hong Kong's colonial-era sedition laws. Their trial, seen as a critical test of media freedom in Hong Kong, could have far-reaching implications for journalism in the city.

The two were arrested in December 2021, along with several other Stand News staff and board members, as part of a broader crackdown on dissent following the 2019 pro-democracy protests. The charges against Chung and Lam accuse them of conspiring to publish 17 seditious articles and op-eds, which prosecutors claim were critical of the government and served as a political platform rather than legitimate journalism.

During the trial, defense counsel Audrey Eu argued that the articles in question did not pose any real risk to national security and that Stand News was fulfilling its duty as the Fourth Estate to scrutinize the government. Eu also criticized the prosecution's conduct, which included introducing nearly 600 new pieces of evidence during cross-examinations and closing arguments.

Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, expressed skepticism about a fair outcome, citing a 100 percent conviction rate for sedition charges since their revival. He expects Chung and Lam to be found guilty, given the illiberal trend in Hong Kong courts since the 2020 national security law was enacted.

The case is the first sedition conviction involving journalists since Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Critics, including the U.S. government, view it as indicative of the deteriorating state of media freedoms in the city.

Stand News was once a beacon of pro-democracy reporting in Hong Kong, particularly during the 2019 protests. Its shutdown in December 2021, following the police raid and the arrests of Chung and Lam, marked a significant blow to press freedom in the city. The outlet was one of the few remaining independent voices after the closure of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper earlier that year.

Despite the verdict, former Stand News staffers remain proud of their work, viewing the outlet as a symbol of a time when Hong Kong still had space for independent reporting. Louise, a former video journalist at Stand News, recalled the difficult decision to shut down the outlet to avoid further arrests. "It's very depressing that all our hard work was gone in one night," she said.

The trial's outcome will likely set the tone for the future of journalism in Hong Kong. The judges will need to define the line between "legitimate reporting" and "inciting hatred" against the government, a decision that could have lasting consequences for the city's media landscape.

As Hong Kong prepares for the verdict, the international community watches closely, aware that the ruling could further erode the city's once-vaunted press freedoms.

(Sources: Agence France-Presse; CBS News; Jessie Pang, James Pomfret, Reuters; Erin Hale, Al Jazeera)