Hong Kong security chief accuses ex-lawmaker of ‘glorifying’ jailed Stand News editor
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s security chief has accused a former lawmaker of “glorifying” jailed Stand News editor Chung Pui-kuen in an opinion piece published by Ming Pao.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Monday wrote to the chief editor of the newspaper to rebut an opinion piece by Margaret Ng titled “Kuen, hang in there,” which was published on the same day.
Chung, 55, was sentenced to 21 months in jail last week after being found guilty of “conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications” in a landmark case. He was editor-in-chief of the shuttered news outlet Stand News, which gained prominence during the pro-democracy protests and unrest in 2019, and is the first journalist jailed for sedition since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
A judge ruled that Chung and Stand News were “not doing genuine journalistic work” during the protests and the publication had become “a tool to smear and vilify” authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong. Chung’s former colleague Patrick Lam, who was Stand News’ acting editor-in-chief, was released owing to time already served and a rare health condition.
See also: How did a Hong Kong judge find media outlet Stand News a seditious ‘tool’ to smear Beijing?
In her op-ed, Ng, a barrister and former director of Stand News, said Chung had been advised to plead guilty in exchange for a one-third sentence reduction.
“But [Chung] refused, because he wanted to speak clearly about the notions of journalism,” she wrote in Chinese.
“And so he endured a prolonged trial, leaving a detailed public record of the extent of press freedom allowed under current law,” she said.
“He was willing to hang in and was only worried that he did not speak well or clearly enough.”
While Chung and Lam were tried under a colonial-era law, for which the maximum sentence for sedition was two years in prison, the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, known locally as Article 23, has raised the penalty for sedition to up to seven years behind bars, or 10 years if the offence involved foreign forces.
In response, Tang slammed Ng’s piece as “misleading,” saying it exalted Chung and disregarded the court’s judgement.
“[Ng] wrote about the Stand News case by beating around the bush and making innuendos,” Tang wrote in Chinese.
“Between the lines, she made Chung – who was convicted after an open and fair trial – a hero. She ignored the clear ruling of the court and glorified Chung’s criminal behaviours as so-called ‘journalistic work’,” he wrote.
Citing the court ruling, Tang said the media must exercise press freedom with “special duties and responsibilities” – including the protection of national security and public order – under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“As long as [what they report] is based on facts, the freedom of media to comment on or criticise government policies is not restricted,” he wrote.
He added that news industry groups, including the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists and the Hong Kong Association of Media Veterans, had voiced their support of the ruling.
The city’s largest press union, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and international press freedom NGO Reporters Without Borders both condemned the ruling, with the latter saying it set a “dangerous precedent” for journalists in the city.
Tang ended his letter by saying that he believed Ming Pao was a “responsible media outlet” and would not be exploited as a “platform that incites unlawful acts.”
Rebuttals
Tang’s rebuttal to Ng was his second in a month opposing opinion pieces published by Ming Pao. In early September, he wrote to the newspaper in response to a piece written by media ethics teacher Chan King-cheung over the convictions of Chung and Lam.
Tang said Chan had made “wrongful remarks” as the latter argued that the sedition convictions had “caused enormous pressure to the news industry.”
In August, the chief editor of Ming Pao, Lau Chung-yung, urged columnists to be “prudent” when writing for the newspaper, after Tang criticised the media for publishing “biased essays” by overseas writers. Tang did not name any publications or writers at that time.
Last year, Ming Pao suspended a long-standing comic strip by political cartoonist “Zunzi” after multiple government officials including Tang called the satirical works “misleading” and “distortive.”
Hong Kong has plummeted in international press freedom indices since the onset of the security law. Watchdogs cite the arrest of journalists, raids on newsrooms and the closure of around 10 media outlets including Apple Daily, Stand News and Citizen News. Over 1,000 journalists have lost their jobs, whilst many have emigrated. Meanwhile, the city’s government-funded broadcaster RTHK has adopted new editorial guidelines, purged its archives and axed news and satirical shows.
See also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s press freedom under the national security law
In 2022, Chief Executive John Lee said press freedom was “in the pocket” of Hongkongers but “nobody is above the law.” Although he has told the press to “tell a good Hong Kong story,” government departments have been reluctant to respond to story pitches.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.