Hong Kong Police arrests six journalists for 'sedition' after raid on online news outlet

In the latest crackdown of the independent media in the semi-autonomous region, Hong Kong Police on Wednesday held six persons, including the senior staff of an online pro-democracy media outlet, Stand News allegedly for “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”. According to a Hong Kong Free Press report, more than 200 national security police officers were deployed to raid the offices of the non-profit online news outlet. Six current and former senior staff members were also arrested on the suspicion of “breaching the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance by conspiring to publish seditious publications”, stated the report.

It is also reported that the arrested persons include three men and three women aged 34 to 73. Currently, as per the report, the Hong Kong police are searching the residences of the arrested individuals. HKFP stated citing local media that Stand News’ acting chief editor Patrick Lam and former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen were apprehended along with Chow Tat-chi, former director and ex-chief editor of the science section. Lam has reportedly stepped down from his position. Former board members Christine Fang, pro-democracy singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng were also detained early on Wednesday. 

The Wednesday raid of the online news platform office has further raised concerns about the freedom of speech and that of the media in the former British colony which came under Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise that individual rights would be protected and freedom would be practised. 

Sedition not crime under recently-imposed national security law

While the journalists were arrested over ‘sedition’, it is to note that sedition is not a crime under the sweeping national security law that was imposed by China on the autonomous city back in June 2020. The Guardian reported that recent judgements by Hong Kong have allowed the authorities to use powers conferred by the new legislation to deploy the colonial-era laws which were previously used only rarely. One of these laws is the Crime Ordinance which includes sedition. 

Reportedly, Ng and Ho had resigned from their positions along with all other directors in June this year following the shutting down of the city’s largest pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The paper was closed after a national security police raid and the arrest of its leadership. 

(IMAGE: AP)