TOP NEWS
Two editors from the defunct pro-democracy news outlet Stand News were found guilty of sedition on Thursday. The two-year long trial is Hong Kong’s first sedition case involving media since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The journalists were charged with ‘conspiracy to publish seditious materials.’ Following the 2021 closure of Apple Daily, Stand News was one of the few remaining Hong Kong news outlets openly critical of the government, before it also shut down under government pressure late that year. The journalists’ trial highlights the continuing and precipitous decline of press freedom in Hong Kong.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation issued a statement in response to the guilty verdicts where we strongly condemn the convictions of the Stand News editors.
Hong Kong
Two Hong Kong democracy campaigners from the ongoing trial known as the ‘Hong Kong 47’ told a court on Tuesday that they had no regrets as they faced potential life imprisonment. 45 members of the ‘Hong Kong 47’ were convicted in May of ‘conspiracy to subvert state power’ for holding an unofficial primary election in 2020. One of the defendants, Leung Kwok-hung (also known as Long Hair) told the court that “human rights are higher than political power” in his mitigation letter. The date has not been set for sentencing.
Three years ago, police arrested the leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, a pro-democracy political group set up in 1989 to campaign for Chinese political prisoners, democratic reforms, and accountability for those killed during the Tiananmen Square protests. The now-disbanded alliance was the main organiser of Hong Kong’s annual candlelight vigil for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Two Nobel Peace Prize nominees, Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, alongside Albert Ho were charged with ‘incitement to subversion’ under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law for peacefully commemorating the 1989 crackdown. Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan have been remanded for all that time, Albert Ho for most of it. The city’s High Court has set the start of their trial for May 6th, 2025. That suggests that there will be no verdict before 2026.
Nine-member jury clears six people in Hong Kong’s first UN anti-terror trial. This is the first instance of a jury trial that has presided over a high profile, politically charged case. The six defendants were found not guilty by a nine-member jury. The verdict delivered their panel on Thursday following a landmark trial under the UN (anti-terrorism measures) Ordinance, which mandates trial by jury. No jury trials have taken place in National Security Law cases, despite defendants being guaranteed the right to trial by jury under Hong Kong’s mini constitution, the Basic Law.
Jimmy Lai Trial
Lai's trial is expected to resume on November 20th for further proceedings, including his testimony.
Lai has been imprisoned for over 1,300 days on national security law charges without a verdict. The trial did not begin until he had been held for two years and has been characterised by its sluggish pace. Proceedings were expected to be completed this past spring; instead, the defence has not even started to present its evidence. The CFHK Foundation condemns this appalling delay, one which clearly illustrates the erosion of the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Detailed trial updates available here: Support Jimmy Lai
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