HK's Stand News shuts down after police raid, arrests
Media outfit accused of publishing seditious articles; pop star Denise Ho among six held
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The last prominent anti-government and pro-democracy online media outfit in Hong Kong has closed, with six people linked to The Stand News, including pop star and activist Denise Ho, held for sedition.
Police also nabbed a former employee of Apple Daily for the same offence in a day of raids yesterday.
The seven people are accused of conspiracy to publish seditious publications under the city's colonial-era Crimes Ordinance, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a HK$5,000 (S$870) fine.
The six linked to The Stand News - three men and three women aged 34 to 73 - are current and former directors, as well as senior staff of the media outfit.
They include acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu Tung and former chief editor Chung Pui Kuen, who stepped down last month.
The other four - Ms Denise Ho, former lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi Yee, Mr Chow Tat Chi and Ms Christine Fang Meng Sang were former board members who stepped down in November.
Mr Chung's wife Chan Pui Man, a former associate publisher of the now-defunct tabloid Apple Daily, was also arrested. She allegedly played a role in the publishing of seditious content on Stand News.
At a police briefing, senior superintendent of the national security department Steve Li Kwai Wah said Stand News published seditious articles from July last year to this November, which incited hatred of the government.
There were articles that "brazenly" talked about how a group was trying to persuade foreign governments to sanction Hong Kong and mainland officials.
In another article, an interviewee was quoted as saying "only when having two countries, you can have two systems". This reeks of Hong Kong independence, said Mr Li, adding that reports also said that in the 2019 unrest, protesters "disappeared" or were sexually assaulted, which were false.
Mr Li also said the police seized HK$61 million worth of Stand News assets.
Hours after the raid, the digital news outfit announced its closure on Facebook, adding that Mr Lam has resigned, all staff contracts ended, and content on its website and social media will be removed.
Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee said: "Anybody who attempts to make use of media work as a tool to pursue political purpose or other interests contravenes the law, particularly offences that endanger national security. They are the evil elements that damage press freedom."
Professional media workers should recognise that these are the bad apples in the industry "and stand far from them", he added.
When asked about this, Mr Li said: "We are not targeting the reporter. We are not targeting the media. We are just targeting the national security law offences."
Separately, The Stand News' deputy assignment editor Ronson Chan, who is also chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), was hauled in to help with investigations, though he was not arrested.
The HKJA expressed deep concern that "the police have repeatedly arrested senior members of the media and searched the offices of news organisations containing large quantities of journalistic materials within a year".
It urged the government to protect press freedom in accordance with the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini Constitution.
Sedition is not an offence under the city's national security law introduced by Beijing in June 2020.
But recent court judgments have given the authorities room to use powers conferred by the new legislation to deploy previously sparsely used colonial-era laws, including the Crime Ordinance which covers sedition.
Key facts about Stand News
• Set up in 2014 as a non-profit organisation, Stand News is the most prominent remaining pro-democracy publication in Hong Kong after a national security probe earlier this year led to the closure of jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai's popular Apple Daily tabloid.
• Stand News' published mission statement reads: "Based in Hong Kong, Stand News' editorial runs independently, strives to safeguard Hong Kong's core values of democracy, human rights, rule of law and justice." It operates under a protocol that insists on editorial independence from financial groups, political parties and organisations and investors.
• It publishes a wide range of political, social and cultural stories on its website. Earlier this year, it produced an investigative piece into the July 2019 attacks by suspected triad gangsters on pro-democracy activists at a train station in suburban Yuen Long - an event which exacerbated months of sometimes violent anti-government protests across the city. Its former reporter Gwyneth Ho was assaulted on the night as she livestreamed the attacks on Stand News' website. Ms Ho later announced her intention to run in a legislative election for the pro-democracy camp and was arrested earlier this year together with 46 other activists for "conspiracy to commit subversion".
• Stand News was the only Hong Kong media outlet to work with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to produce reports on the Pandora Papers in October - a trove of 12 million leaked documents revealing the hidden wealth and tax structures of some of the world's richest and most powerful people.
• It takes funding from commercial advertising, donors and public subscribers but no information is available on its financial position or subscriber figures. It has about 1.72 million followers and about 1.28 million likes on Facebook. Stand News said in June that it would stop accepting donations from readers and had taken down commentaries from the platform to protect supporters, authors and editorial staff, adding that "speech crimes" had come to Hong Kong. The June announcement said senior barrister and former democratic legislator Margaret Ng, pop singer Denise Ho and four others had resigned from its board, with two founding directors, Mr Tony Tsoi and former chief editor Mr Chung Pui-kuen, remaining.
REUTERS
