This verdict is another nail in the coffin for press freedom and free speech in Hong Kong. Pui-kuen and Lam had been operating within journalistic principles to deliver unbiased, uninfluenced news stories for the marginalized and the minority. Their conviction is unfair, undermines Hong Kong's self-portrayal as a bastion of free press in Asia, and risks descending the city further into authoritarianism.
Pui-kuen and Lam distorted facts, attacked criminal procedures and law enforcement officials, and undermined the government's authority with fake news on public security and stability. The fact that their trial was Hong Kong's first involving media since 1997 and they weren't charged under national security law — which carries penalties up to life in prison — shows that the verdict is fair.
There's a 50% chance that Hong Kong will stop being a Special Administrative Region of China by 2047, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
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