A veteran Hong Kong journalist was recently arrested for “conspiracy to publish seditious publication,” the latest in a long line of Hong Kong newsmakers arrested for going against the grain regarding Beijing.
Veteran Hong Kong journalist Allan Au was arrested by Hong Kong police on charges that he was conspiring to publish “seditious materials” under an old colonial-era anti-sedition law, a recent report by Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) said. The arrest attracted the attention of the U.S. State Department.
"Hong Kong’s position as a free, global financial center depends on the free flow of information and opinions,” Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said in a recent tweet. “We call on the Hong Kong government to free Allan Au and all others imprisoned for exercising their fundamental freedoms. Journalism is not a crime.”
John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief secretary for Administration, pointed out in a statement to State Newswire that as long as people are staying within “the legal framework,” their freedoms will be “sufficiently guaranteed.” Moreover, he added in the statement that laws are still ensuring freedom of the press and free speech.
“There has not been a change in its wording,” he said in the statement.
The arrest was made on April 11 by national security police, the HKFP report said. Au was not mentioned by name in the arrest record, but it did indicate that a 54-year-old man from Kwai Chung had been charged with conspiring to publish “seditious publication.”
Au had worked for several news outlets including Stand News, and he also served as a consultant at the School of Journalism at Chinese University, where he focused on censorship; the report said. Stand News folded in December after several people connected to the platform were arrested.
Au’s arrest was likely linked to the Stand News case, the report said. Chung Pui-kuen, editor-in-chief of Stand News, and Patrick Lam, the acting chief editor, also were arrested in December under the colonial-era law and have been detained without bail. The anti-sedition laws have not been amended since the 1970s when Hong Kong was still under British rule.
