Incident
Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of sedition
Hong KongRSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180
- Insult and defamation laws
- Stage Punish
- Upheld by a court
A Hong Kong court convicted former Stand News editors Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam of conspiring to publish seditious material, under a colonial-era law, over articles the outlet had run before police raided its newsroom and it closed at the end of 2021.1
What happened
On August 29, 2024, Hong Kong District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin convicted former Stand News editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam of conspiring to publish and reproduce seditious material, finding that 11 of 17 articles the prosecution presented had been seditious under a sedition law dating to the colonial era. Stand News had already ceased operating in December 2021 after a police raid on its offices. Chung argued in response that free speech should not be limited to eliminating dangerous ideas but should instead be used to counter them. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the verdict directly harmed media freedom. Both editors were sentenced on September 26, 2024, facing up to two years in prison.1234
What reason was given
Stated justificationThe court found that the articles were seditious because they were capable of undermining public confidence in the Hong Kong or Chinese central government, and prosecutors argued certain pieces promoted ideologies the law prohibited or smeared the security law and police.1234
What changed for reporting
A once-prominent Hong Kong outlet had already closed under police pressure, and the criminal conviction of its editors for material it had published established that ordinary opinion journalism about the security law could carry a prison sentence.2
Timeline
2024
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong District Court | ruled | Trial court |
| John Lee | other | Chief Executive of Hong Kong (from July 2022) |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Stand News | outlet | affected |
| Chung Pui-kuen | journalist, Stand News | affected |
| Patrick Lam | journalist, Stand News | affected |
Sources
- A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case
- Hong Kong court finds Stand News editors guilty of sedition
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- The judge found that 11 of 17 articles the prosecution presented as evidence were seditious under the colonial-era sedition law.
11 of 17 articles that the prosecution presented as evidence were seditious under the colonial-era sedition law.
Hong Kong court finds Stand News editors guilty of sedition, Al Jazeera, 2024-08-29.Claim 437, checked 2026-09-22. - Chung said free speech should be used to counter dangerous ideas rather than restricted on the grounds of eliminating them.
Freedom of speech should not be restricted on the grounds of eradicating dangerous ideas, but rather it should be used to eradicate dangerous ideas.
A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case, NPR, 2024-08-30.Claim 438, checked 2026-09-22. - A State Department spokesperson said the verdict directly harmed media freedom in Hong Kong.
direct attack on media freedom
A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case, NPR, 2024-08-30.Claim 439, checked 2026-09-22. - Stand News ceased operating following a police raid on its offices in December 2021, before the verdict.
The court ruled that Lai was the 'mastermind' of the alleged conspiracies in all three counts.
Hong Kong court finds Stand News editors guilty of sedition, Al Jazeera, 2024-08-29.Claim 440, checked 2026-09-22.