{
  "id": 116,
  "slug": "2024-hong-kong-stand-news-editors-convicted-sedition",
  "title": "Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of sedition",
  "occurred_on": "2024-08-29",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "HK",
  "country": "HK",
  "continent": "asia",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws",
  "leader_slug": "john-lee",
  "issue_of_the_day": "The prosecution centered on opinion pieces and interviews Stand News had published examining Hong Kong's 2019 protests and the 2020 National Security Law, coverage prosecutors said smeared the security law and law enforcement.",
  "outcome": "upheld",
  "outcome_on": "2024-09-26",
  "outcome_note": "Both editors were sentenced in September 2024; no reversal of the convictions was reported.",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2020s",
  "summary": "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.{c:437}",
  "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.{c:437}{c:438}{c:439}{c:440}",
  "stated_justification": "The 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.{c:437}{c:438}{c:439}{c:440}",
  "effect_on_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.{c:438}",
  "unknowns": null,
  "status": "in_effect",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:53Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 5,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:47Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T00:09:29Z",
  "stage": "punish",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "Hong Kong",
  "tactics": [
    "insult_and_defamation_laws"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "john-lee",
    "name": "John Lee",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/john-lee"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-hong-kong-stand-news-editors-convicted-sedition",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T23:16:53Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 2,
    "status": "in_effect",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": null
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "hong-kong-district-court",
      "name": "Hong Kong District Court",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "ruled",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/hong-kong-district-court"
    },
    {
      "slug": "john-lee",
      "name": "John Lee",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/john-lee"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [
    {
      "slug": "stand-news",
      "name": "Stand News",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/stand-news"
    }
  ],
  "journalists": [
    {
      "slug": "chung-pui-kuen",
      "name": "Chung Pui-kuen",
      "outlet": "stand-news",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/chung-pui-kuen"
    },
    {
      "slug": "patrick-lam",
      "name": "Patrick Lam",
      "outlet": "stand-news",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/patrick-lam"
    }
  ],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 437,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 116,
      "field": "occurred_on",
      "value": "2024-08-29",
      "statement": "The judge found that 11 of 17 articles the prosecution presented as evidence were seditious under the colonial-era sedition law.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 306,
      "evidence_quote": "11 of 17 articles that the prosecution presented as evidence were seditious under the colonial-era sedition law.",
      "evidence_date": "2024-08-29",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:48Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 306,
        "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/hong-kong-court-finds-stand-news-editors-guilty-of-sedition",
        "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/hong-kong-court-finds-stand-news-editors-guilty-of-sedition",
        "title": "Hong Kong court finds Stand News editors guilty of sedition",
        "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
        "published_on": "2024-08-29",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/437"
    },
    {
      "id": 438,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 116,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Chung defends the role of dissenting speech",
      "statement": "Chung said free speech should be used to counter dangerous ideas rather than restricted on the grounds of eliminating them.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 305,
      "evidence_quote": "Freedom of speech should not be restricted on the grounds of eradicating dangerous ideas, but rather it should be used to eradicate dangerous ideas.",
      "evidence_date": "2024-08-30",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:49Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 305,
        "url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/08/30/g-s1-20244/hong-kong-court-convicts-journalists-sedition-case",
        "final_url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/08/30/g-s1-20244/hong-kong-court-convicts-journalists-sedition-case",
        "title": "A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case",
        "publisher": "NPR",
        "published_on": "2024-08-30",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/438"
    },
    {
      "id": 439,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 116,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "U.S. State Department calls verdict an attack on media freedom",
      "statement": "A State Department spokesperson said the verdict directly harmed media freedom in Hong Kong.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 305,
      "evidence_quote": "direct attack on media freedom",
      "evidence_date": "2024-08-30",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:49Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 305,
        "url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/08/30/g-s1-20244/hong-kong-court-convicts-journalists-sedition-case",
        "final_url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/08/30/g-s1-20244/hong-kong-court-convicts-journalists-sedition-case",
        "title": "A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case",
        "publisher": "NPR",
        "published_on": "2024-08-30",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/439"
    },
    {
      "id": 440,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 116,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "Stand News had already closed in 2021",
      "statement": "Stand News ceased operating following a police raid on its offices in December 2021, before the verdict.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 306,
      "evidence_quote": "The court ruled that Lai was the 'mastermind' of the alleged conspiracies in all three counts.",
      "evidence_date": "2024-08-29",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
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      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:16:50Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 306,
        "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/hong-kong-court-finds-stand-news-editors-guilty-of-sedition",
        "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/hong-kong-court-finds-stand-news-editors-guilty-of-sedition",
        "title": "Hong Kong court finds Stand News editors guilty of sedition",
        "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
        "published_on": "2024-08-29",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
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      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/440"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 305,
      "url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/08/30/g-s1-20244/hong-kong-court-convicts-journalists-sedition-case",
      "final_url": "https://www.npr.org/2024/08/30/g-s1-20244/hong-kong-court-convicts-journalists-sedition-case",
      "title": "A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case",
      "publisher": "NPR",
      "published_on": "2024-08-30",
      "link_state": "live",
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      "wayback_url": null,
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    {
      "id": 306,
      "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/hong-kong-court-finds-stand-news-editors-guilty-of-sedition",
      "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/hong-kong-court-finds-stand-news-editors-guilty-of-sedition",
      "title": "Hong Kong court finds Stand News editors guilty of sedition",
      "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
      "published_on": "2024-08-29",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
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  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-hong-kong-stand-news-editors-convicted-sedition/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of sedition. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-hong-kong-stand-news-editors-convicted-sedition. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}