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#LegCoPrimary
Former Stand News Journalist: I took off my press pass to become part of the resistance

Ho Kwai-nam, former journalist at Stand News, will run for the pro-democracy camp's primary. She was known for her reportage on July 1, 2019 interviewing the remaining protesters in the Legislative Council and on July 21, 2019 during the Triad attack in Yuen Long (where she was assaulted).

Ho said, "I took off my press pass, in a hope to become part of the resistance. I want to walk with Hongkongers and face our future together. It is like July 1 when the protesters rushed back to the Legislative Council to get their brothers and sisters out."

Source: CNews #Jun19
#StandNews #HoKwaiNam
How Do I Perceive the Position I am in?

Former Stand News journalist and now-detained pro-democracy activist Gwyneth Ho wrote about her thoughts and experience when going through the trial in Hong Kong.

Ho was accused of subverting the state and charged with the #NationalSecurityLaw.

"...When called by the name by Victor SO Wai-tak ... oops it should be 'called by the number' (defendants and prisoners are not named. Hi, this is D33 here~), I was reading a copy of Ming Pao [newspaper] left on the floor by another defendant. I was momentarily absorbed in an article about the '7.21 Mob in white' court case. It wrote that the courtroom was constantly showing the live broadcast, of that day, from 'The Stand News'… (I feel embarrassed just to think about it.)"

Read our fully translated article here:
https://telegra.ph/How-Do-I-Perceive-the-Position-I-am-in-06-11

Source:Stand News #Mar23

#Interview #Standnews #Journalist #GwynethHo #Position
#NeverForget
"Tracing the Source" - 7.21 Yuen Long Attack Investigative Report by Stand News

Days ahead of the 2-year anniversary of the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack, Stand News published a video report investigating the allegations from the pro-Beijing camp that the conflict was initiated by pro-democracy protesters.

English captions have been added by Real Hong Kong News. Watch the video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gch5ikVyI80

The report found that pro-Beijing groups and Hong Kong police, and the #IPCC all cited a poster calling for a protest in Yuen Long on 7.21, during the height of the 2019 anti-ELAB protests.

Notably, the IPCC's special investigation report was quoted in the court case of 7 pro-Beijing men charged for rioting on 7.21, the only alleged white-shirt attackers who have been charged to date.

However, HKU research found that the poster had first gone viral on Chinese social media platform #Weibo and other pro-Beijing groups, instead of the #LIHKG forum frequented by pro-democracy protesters.

When the poster later reached LIHKG, it was mostly met with skepticism; eventually being treated by commentators as fake information.

Pro-Beijing groups, however, had used the poster to stir up fears of "rioters" coming to Yuen Long, even calling on people to bring canes and water pipes to repel the presumed "invaders".

During the evening of 7.21 when the incensed mobs struck indiscriminately at civilians, multiple pro-Beijing figures were seen on the streets with the white-shirts. Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho was also filmed encouraging and shaking hands with white-shirts.

Patrolling police officers were seen walking away from the sites where civilians were attacked.

Footage also showed Pak Heung Division Commander Li Hon-man mingling and thanking white-shirts who scuffled with pro-democracy citizens during the week leading up to the attack.

These, as well as other reports from that evening, contributed to public discontent and suspicion that the police force is colluding with the Triads.

Since then, Pro-Beijing groups have distanced themselves with the events of the night, and clung to the narrative that they were defending their homes from supposed incursion by the black shirts. When Stand News approached several leaders who had been identified in the night's footage, many declined to comment, or simply cut off the interview.

Some victims of the attack had sued the police force for reparations to cover the costs of surgery and long-term medications to treat their injuries; however, the Department of Justice called their claims "unreasonable". They had since withdrawn their case, since their lawyer - pro-democracy legislator Albert Ho - is now in jail, leaving them feeling helpless and deprived of justice.

Source: Stand News
Caption Translation: Real Hong Kong News

#YuenLong721 #StandNews #Documentation #Report
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#StandNews Thanks Hongkongers for Their Support Despite Political Oppression

On December 29, 2021, Stand News has announced ceasing their operations and laying off all staff immediately after the police arrested a number of current and former management staff and freezing their assets.

The 7 arrested are the former and acting editors-in-chief of Stand News, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, four former board members – singer Denise Ho, barrister Margaret Ng, Christine Fang and Chow Tat-chi – and former Apple Daily executive Chan Pui-man, a former contributor.

Deputy assignment editor Ronson Chan briefly spoke to reporters as was leaving the Stand News office around 5pm. With tears in his eyes, he called it a "sad day", and thanked readers for their support.

Read more:
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31751

Source: Citizen News #Dec29

#Media #PoliticalOppression #PressFreedom #Regime #Arrest #PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution
Pro-democracy Hong Kong Singer #DeniseHo Arrested by National Secutity Police: I feel Alright

On December 29, 2021, the National Security Police in Hong Kong arrested singer #DeniseHo and 5 other current and former #StandNews senior personnel.

The authorities accused them of "conspiring to publish seditious publications."

Through the administrator of her facrbook page, after the arrest Denise Ho told Hongkongers, "I feel alright. To those who care about me, please don’t be worried."

Source: Yseedsmedia #Dec29

#HOCC #Media #PoliceState #Regime #Arrest

====
Related News:

Stand News: Operation ceased; social media accounts will be removed
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31757

Hong Kong National Security raid pro-democracy newspaper, arrested 6 senior staff
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31751

Hong Kong Authorities' #Crackdown on #StandNews
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31752

#StandNews Thanks Hongkongers for Their Support Despite Political Oppression
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31765
#Solidarity
Hongkongers Express Gratitude to #StandNews

[Editor's notes: The following open letter to Stand News was published by Liber Research, an independent research organization in Hong Kong with a focus on local studies. Liber Research expressed gratitude to Stand News in the past years for defending the freedom of the press and information in Hong Kong.

Stand News was forced to shut down on December 29, 2021 after the Hong Kong authorities arrested 7 current and former senior staff of the news outlet on the same day.]

"Thank you so much, Stand News, for reporting local news and publishing our studies over the years.

The articles, videos, news reports, webcasts, commentaries, investigative reports, and interviews of Stand News enabled our research to be covered every few days.

With the support of Stand News, our work has become all rounded.

Stand News never neglects the burning issues in Hong Kong society. Professional investigations, in-depth interviews, local sensitivity, topical issues, and reflective discussions had defintely made Stand News a legend despite difficult times.

The sudden closure of Stand News will make civic organisations lose their key dissemination platform, impacting on how social reality could be reflected in the long run.

Following the deterioration of the media freedom in Hong Kong this year, Hongkongers can see the changes of information dissemination.

It is quite certain that the closure of Stand News will further restrict information flow with regard to public issues, especially for critical studies. Room for publication with depth and breadth is diminishing.

Regardless, let us wish best of luck to all Stand News journalists. Let us treasure what's left and keep each other in company until the very end.

'As long as local opinions persist, no one can cover the sun with one finger.'"

Source: Liber Research #Dec29

#PressFreedom #Research #Regime #PoliceState
#WhiteTerror #Censorship
Newspaper in Hong Kong States in Editorial: "No Intention to Incite Hatred"

In late December 2021, six former and current senior staff members of Stand News were arrested for "conspiracy to publish a seditious material". The authorities said that it contravened sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance.

The former chief-editor Chung Pui-Kuen and the former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-Tung were both detained and denied bail. Stand News immediately announced to cease operation.

On January 6, 2022, #MingPao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong, stated in its editorial that the newspaper has no intention to "incite hatred, dissatisfaction, and hostility" and they are only "pointing out the wrongdoings and suggesting a legal improvement to the society".

Following #StandNews, #CitizenNews and other 5 media have been recently closed down.

The chief-writer in Citizen News Chris Yeung Kin-Hing worried about the unpredictable redline. He was not comfortable to be a journalist as any article, report and interview can be classified as incitement.

Chief Executive #CarrieLam, however, claimed that the number of media registered on the information service department has increased in the past year, when she was asked whether press freedom has declined.

"The shut down of the media is their personal choice that we should not directly connect it with #FreedomofPress. The government and the police force only act in accordance with the law."

The editorial posted by Ming Pao reads:

"Criticism in the journal was to point out the mistakes or weaknesses of the related systems, policies or regulations and aim to correct or to eliminate them with legal improvement. There are no hatred, dissatisfaction, or hostility incitement to the government or other social groups."

Source: InMedia #Jan6
https://bit.ly/3JLmArq

#CarrieLam #YeungKinHing #ChungPuiKuen #LamShiuTung #NSL #CrimesOrdinance #PressFreedom #MediaLandscape
#PressFreedom
Pro-democeacy news anchor stumbles in career development in Hong Kong

Young news anchor, Ingrid #TseHingYee worked for three media outlets in three years. Her disrupted career, is a sad reflection of Hong Kong's stifled media and banished press freedom.

Most recently, Tse was seen hosting a press briefing for the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institution.

She thanked her supporters after the briefing, saying that she is pondering possible developments in her career.

Tse joined #AppleDaily in 2021 after resigning from i-Cable in 2019 due to arguments about editorial decisions.

The 25-year-old journalist moved to work in online media Hong Kong #CitizenNews after Apple Daily was folded in June 2021.

In January 2022, Citizen News announced plans to close after some 200 police raided #StandNews, another independent media outlet in Hong Kong, citing concerns about the safety of its staff.

Source: inmediahk; #Feb12
https://bit.ly/3gVtGwl
#PressFreedom
Hong Kong Drops to the 148th Ranking out of 180 in 2021 World Press Index

The Reporter Without Borders (#RSF) announced the latest World Press Index on May 3, 2022. The ranking of Hong Kong drops from the 80th to the 148th place, hitting the city's lowest record and claiming the largest drop among all 180 territories included in the survey.

RSF in their report called Hong Kong "once a bastion of press freedom" which "has seen an unprecedented setback since 2020 when Beijing adopted a National Security Law aimed at silencing independent voices."

Regarding the media landscape, RSF pointed out that "since the 1997 handover to China, most media have fallen under the control of the government or pro-China groups. In 2021, two major independent news outlets, #AppleDaily and #StandNews, were forcefully shut down while numerous smaller-scale media outlets ceased operations, citing legal risks."

RSF also detailsd how the Hong Kong SAR government "froze the assets of Apple Daily and Stand News, forcing them to cease operations and causing the unemployment of 860 of their staff."

The National Security Law is also a cause to the massive drop in Hong Kong's ranking in the World Press Index. According to RSF, the law is "a pretext to gag independent voices in the name of the fight against “terrorism”, “secession”, “subversion”, and “collusion with foreign forces”. Due to its ambiguous phrasing, the law looks like it could apply to any journalist covering Hong Kong, regardless of their location."

Source: RSF; Mingpao #May3

https://bit.ly/3FebcSL

https://rsf.org/en/country/hong-kong