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China continues to suppress the people who raise views critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In the latest attempt at suppressing freedom of expression, China gave a jail sentence to journalists on sedition charges. Two journalists belonging to a closed Hong Kong news site were sentenced to prison on Thursday for sedition charges. These journalists were former Stand News journalists Chung Pui-Kuen and Patrick Lam who were found guilty and fined last month for conspiring to publish and reproduce seditious articles VOA News reported. The sentenced journalists had received sentences of 21 and 11 months respectively. However, Lam among the two had been immediately released due to medical reasons. Chung, Stand's former editor-in-chief, and Lam, the outlet's former acting editor-in-chief, both have denied all charges against them since their offices were first raided in 2021. The same news report claimed that Chung aged 54, and Lam aged 36, had already spent more than 300 days in pretrial detentions. However, employees of the news website run by the sentenced journalists and the journalism fraternity claim that the news organization was a liberal one and followed long-standing principles and ethics of journalism. According to the VOA News report Ronson Chan, a former editor at Stand News, said "I'm happy that Patrick Lam could be released at once, with the judge giving the sentence for the appropriate period, but I still feel sorry Chung needed to go back to jail for 10 months. He created a very good and liberal platform for us, journalists, and the staff of Stand News. We enjoyed a very good freedom of news and freedom of press. We had our own view to make what we thought was valuable to do. It seems Mr. Chung is the only person to pay for our liberalism and freedom." Additionally, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said that the sentences given to these journalists expose the "real risks" for journalism in the region. A statement released by the organization over the matter stated "The two men's convictions and sentences reflect the ongoing decline of press freedom in Hong Kong and the real dangers media workers in the territory are facing while performing their duties." The VOA report added the statement of Aleksandra Bielakowska member of the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders stated that the sentences constitute "Yet another nail in the coffin for press freedom in Hong Kong, dangerously laying another red line for journalists in the city. Deliberately targeting independent media and its journalists has left a huge void in Hong Kong's media landscape that will be very difficult to rebuild. There are still a few independent media that try to keep up operations, but they are already tremendously afraid for their safety. This verdict is only underlining the reality that judges and courts are not fulfilling [their] duty of protecting residents but have become a political tool, used to threaten those who dare to speak independently, including journalists." The VOA News report claimed that organizations like Stand News are among Hong Kong's last remaining media outlets which openly criticize the government. Organisations like these were aggressively attacked by the Beijing-backed political crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2019. After 2019, Beijing had imposed a National Security Law which had provisions of banning any secession, subversion and foreign interference. This law has resulted in arrests of at least 28 journalists and press freedom advocates out of which 10 still remain jailed. Moreover, this crackdown has forced shut shutdown of more than a dozen media outlets. "There is nothing wrong with safeguarding national security, but allowing journalists to speak out and enabling society to speak freely is necessary to maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and is also an important part of promoting the city's international image. Officials may insist that Hong Kong's press freedom is unhampered, but the public knows the truth." Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) said in a statement. As a result of suppression acts like these Hong Kong's international press freedom ranking has nosedived in recent years, to the 135th place in the Reporters Without Borders rankings for 2024 which once ranked at 18 in 2002, according to the group. (ANI)
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