Sedition Trial Verdict Looms for Hong Kong Journalists

Two Hong Kong journalists from the now-shuttered Stand News face a sedition verdict, reflecting the erosion of press freedom. Former editors Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam are accused of publishing seditious content under a colonial-era law. This trial marks the first media-related sedition case since Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China.

Two Hong Kong journalists from the now-defunct Stand News are awaiting a sedition case verdict, a development closely watched as a barometer for press freedom in the city.

Former editors Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, who face charges of conspiracy to publish seditious materials, began their trial nearly two years ago. This case is the first instance of media-related sedition prosecution in Hong Kong since its return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Under a colonial-era sedition law increasingly wielded to quash dissent post-2019 protests, the journalists are accused of using their platform to spread seditious content. The trial has brought to light concerns over the diminishing space for free expression in Hong Kong's media landscape.

(With inputs from agencies.)