China

Hong Kong: Court Finds Five Guilty Of Sedition Over Children's Books

JUN 4 2022·Updated JUN 25 2024

Story

Image credit: AP [via CNN]

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.
CNN
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.
Reuters
This ruling comes after the five defendants have spent more than a year detained in custody on national security charges.
South China Morning Post
The three picture books reportedly depicted sheep defending their village from wolves, which prosecutors claimed were allegories referencing to actual events that have taken place in Hong Kong since the 2019 protests.
Reuters
These are the latest convictions based on a colonial-era sedition law that has been used on par with Hong Kong's national security laws enacted in 2020.
guardian
Despite being accused of using the laws to crush opposition, Beijing argues that it's seeking to restore stability in the city.
BBC News

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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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.

guardian

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.

China Daily