Two former editors of the now-defunct online news outlet Stand News were found guilty on Thursday of conspiring to publish seditious articles. Former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and acting chief editor Patrick Lam were convicted of conspiring to publish and reproduce seditious publications between July 2020 and December 2021. Stand News' parent company, Best Pencil Limited, was also found guilty of the same offence. In a written judgement, District Court judge Kwok Wai-kin ruled that 11 of the 17 publications raised by the prosecution were seditious, noting the political climate at the time was extremely heated and many people were unhappy with the SAR and central governments. The published materials included interviews with opposition figures as well as commentaries. The court ruled that the political ideology of Stand News was localism and its stance was to "support and promote Hong Kong local autonomy". “During the anti-extradition bill movement, it even became a tool to smear and vilify the central authorities and the SAR government,” Kwok wrote in the judgement. The court ruled that Chung knew and approved of the articles’ seditious intentions and offered Stand News as a platform to incite hatred against central and SAR authorities. The judge also noted that Lam approved one of the articles found to be seditious, while at the same time voicing support for the anti-extradition bill movement in a forum. The verdict, originally slated for last October, was postponed three times pending an appeal in a separate sedition case. Sentencing has been adjourned to September 26, and both Chung and Lam were freed on bail. They each face up to two years in prison. Stand News closed down in December 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets.
