After a Year in Custody, Former Stand News Editor-in-Chief Granted Bail

Chung Pui-kuen, former editor-in-chief of Stand News, which ceased operation at the end of 2021, was granted bail on Dec. 13. He was arrested at the end of December 2021 and held in custody for nearly a year.

The prosecution submitted over 1,000 pages of undisclosed documents for the first time last month during Chung’s trial. The defense stated that the new and hefty paper load might affect the cross-examination and thus applied for a one-month postponement. The trial resumed on Dec. 13, 2022, at District Court.

When defendant Chung applied for bail, the prosecution objected, claiming that Chung played a leading role in the case as a “very seasoned journalist,” and might endanger national security again if the proposed bail was approval.

The prosecutors also alleged that Chung, working for a free online media like Stand News, must mean that to Chung, journalism must have been a “quest” more than a job.

Temporary Freedom at a Price

However, the judge decided that the possibility of any company hiring Chung to spread anti-national security messages would be very low.

Judge Kwok Wai-kin approved Chung’s bail request providing that Chung pay HK$100,000 (about $12,850) for the bail. His brother became Chung’s guarantor for HK$50,000 (about $6,425).

In addition, the judge banned Chung from leaving Hong Kong, and said he must hand over all travel documents. Chung is also required to report to the police station once a week and reject all media interviews.

Chung Pui-kuen, once worked as a journalist for Hong Kong Economic Times, Ming Pao, and founded the House News, a predecessor to Stand News.

Chung’s wife, Chan Pui-man, is the former Apple Daily vice chairperson. She was arrested and detained by the National Security Bureau during the police investigation of the pro-democracy news outlets. On Dec. 29, 2021, Chan was arrested again, while in custody, for publishing seditious material on Stand News.

Retaliation for Reporting the Truth

Once an award-winning and pro-democracy independent news outlet, Stand News focused on political issues in Hong Kong, and frequently highlighted actions of the police and pro-government parties and figures.

The government considered the on line media to be an opponent of the Chinese Communist Party.

Stand News stood firm in its mandate of truthful reporting even after the government implemented the National Security Law in Hong Kong.

On May 27, 2021, the Hong Kong branch of  Amnesty International (now closed) announced that Stand news was the winner of the human rights journalism awards. The former media agency received merit awards for two investigative reports, namely, “City of Fear Under the National Security Law” and the “Lamma FerryTragedy.”

Government Supressed Award-Winning News Companies

Apple Daily’s demise impacted Stand News significantly. Stand News was under severe oppression by the government. Not long after its closure, Stand News suspended all sponsorships, while six directors resigned from their posts on the board of directors.

In October 2021, Stand News, and other international media outlets, leaked the Pandora Paper. The extensive offshore financial investigation revealed many country leaders, politicians, and celebrities using offshore banking systems to hide illicit money, bribery income, tax evasion, and to cover-up assets.

Former Hong Kong chief executives Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying were also on the leaked list. Leung pointed out that the relevant reports were misleading and counter-accused that the news involved in the investigation was by a “foreign agent.”

Death of Stand News

On Dec. 29, 2021, the National Security Bureau and the Hong Kong Police Force froze HK$61 million (about $7.83 million) worth of Stand News’ assets. They arrested six former senior executives, including former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen, former board director Ng Hoi-Yee, Denise Ho, Chow Chi-tat, Fung Man-sun, and Lam Siu-tung.

The pro-democracy news agency ceased operation and dismissed all employees and staff on the same afternoon.

In a previous hearing in October 2022, the prosecutors called the former Stand News journalist a “mastermind,” a “co-conspirator,” who “controls minds and views.”

As for Chung’s wife, Chan Pui-man, the former vice president of Apple Daily, Chan was accused of violating the national security law in Hong Kong. She was also arrested again for publishing seditious materials on Stand News.

On June 17, 2021, Hong Kong police dispatched over 500 officers to search the former Next Digital Headquarters and multiple assists owned by Apple Daily.

The police arrested five management executives that day, including Chan, for conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security.

Chan once said at an Apple Daily staff meeting that even if Apple Daily closed one day, she would stay behind until the end because she believed her position as a journalist at Apple Daily was more than a job.

In an interview with Apple Daily, Chan stated, “From now on, things will only get worse, not better.”

Chung Pui-kuen and Lam Siu-tung were charged the following day, on Dec. 30, 2021, with conspiracy to publish or copy seditious publications and were denied bail at the time.

Lam was approved bail in November 2022 after being remanded for over 10 months. Chung was approved bail after almost a year in custody.

From 2002 to 2003, Leung Oi-see, then Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong, with other officials, repeatedly stated that the police must have clear evidence of violence to charge someone with incitement. “Press workers should not be fearful of doing their job,” Leung stated.

Death of Press Freedom in Hong Kong

However, since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, the regime has been using “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” to charge independent media and the press, and thus control information.

Hong Kong’s press freedom has since been severely compromised.

A Reporters Without Borders Report on press freedom said, “While North Korea (180th) is the worst country for press freedom, China (175th) continues to extend its information control model not only within its borders but also beyond them. Thus, … Hong Kong (148th), now controlled by Beijing, registered the steepest drop in the ranking (68 places) in the 2022 Index.”

Hong Kong media companies were either crushed or infiltrated by the Chinese Communist Party. Coupled with the ambiguity of the National Security Law, the post-colonial city’s press freedom index nose-dived to its most significant drop from 80 to 148, a level similar to that of other authoritarian countries such as Russia and China.