Hong Kong Apple Daily founder and employees face new sedition cost

Hong Kong prosecutors on Tuesday filed a “seditious publications” cost towards jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai who already faces costs underneath a troublesome nationwide safety legislation that critics say has stifled freedoms within the Asian monetary hub.
Lai, 74, the founding father of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, appeared in courtroom alongside six different former Apple Daily employees. The day by day tabloid closed in June after authorities raided the newspaper, arrested employees on nationwide safety grounds and froze belongings.
Lai already faces two costs underneath a nationwide safety legislation that Beijing imposed on the previous British colony final June, together with collusion with a international nation.
The further sedition cost accuses Lai of conspiracy to print, publish, promote, distribute “seditious publications” between April 2019 and June 24, 2021.
Prosecutors allege that the publications may “bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection” towards the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, in response to the cost sheet seen by Reuters.
Lai is among the many most outstanding folks to be charged underneath the nationwide safety legislation that was enacted in June 2020 to punish terrorism, collusion with international forces, subversion and secession with potential life imprisonment.
Lai’s repeated arrests and prosecutions have drawn criticism from Western governments and worldwide rights teams, who say the legislation has been used to jail scores of pro-democracy campaigners, crush dissent and freedoms together with of the press.
Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say the legislation has restored stability after protracted pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Lai has been convicted in a number of unauthorised meeting instances. He has been detained for over a 12 months and is now within the most safety Stanley Prison in solitary confinement, in response to two sources accustomed to the matter.
The similar conspiracy to supply seditious publications cost was filed towards the six former Apple Daily staffers, together with chief editor Ryan Law; deputy chief editor Chan Pui-man; Cheung Kim-hung, the CEO of Next Digital, Apple’s mother or father media firm; columnist Yeung Ching-kee; English version editor Fung Wai-kong; and senior editor Lam Man-chung.
The six have additionally been accused of “conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country or with external elements”.
Magistrate Peter Law adjourned the case till Feb. 24. All of the defendants will proceed to be remanded in custody till then.