US bans ‘advanced tech’ firms from building facilities in China for a decade
GuardianNov 26, 2022
The Facts
On Wed., a Hong Kong District Court found five speech therapists guilty of conspiracy to produce 'seditious' illustrated children's books allegedly intended to promote hatred toward local authorities and Beijing.
Lorie Lai, Melody Yeung, Sidney Ng, Samuel Chan and Marco Fong - all in their mid-to-late 20s - pleaded not guilty. They will be sentenced on Sat. and face up to two years in jail.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Hong Kong authorities have been using the overly broad crime of sedition to clamp down on peaceful dissent. Even writing children's books has become a crime as creative productions are now vulnerable to subjective judgements.
Pro-China narrative
These illustrated books were produced solely with the intent to brainwash very young minds against the government, promoting sedition and exalting unlawful behavior. This could affect the notion of right and wrong in future generations.