Two Hong Kong journalists will learn the outcome this week of their landmark sedition trial, whose verdict could set the tone for the future of journalism in the city.
The two journalists, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, are former editors of the now-closed independent news outlet, Stand News. They face up to two years in prison if found guilty under Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition laws.
Sedition laws were introduced in Hong Kong when it was a British colony but had lain dormant until 2020 when Beijing imposed new national security laws in response to months of anti government protests a year earlier.
While not the first sedition trial since the security law triggered a political sea change, Chung and Lam’s trial will be closely watched as it is the first to deal directly with journalism and media. The judges, in their ruling, will have to define what is considered “legitimate reporting” and what is considered “inciting hatred” against the government.
Prosecutors accuse Chung and Lam of conspiring to publish 17 seditious articles and op-eds that were critical of the government. The articles included news reports about Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp and commentary from political figures living in exile.
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