The District Court has sentenced Editor-in-Chief Chung Pui-kuen and acting Editor-in-Chief Lam Siu-tong to imprisonment for conspiracy to publish seditious materials through Stand News, concluding a nearly two-year trial.
As the U.S. and Western nations criticize Hong Kong for allegedly suppressing press freedom, it is essential to take a critical view to see whether Stand News is simply a media organization.
First, the promotion of nativism is paramount. The nativist movement aims not only to incite hostility toward the Central Authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government but ultimately to pursue Hong Kong's independence. District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kan, referencing evidence including Stand News' inaugural edition, three editorials, and its physical publication "Lizhi," concluded that Stand's political philosophy is nativist, serving as a tool to disparage the Central and SAR Governments during the anti-amendment to the extradition law protests.
Second, there are significant ties to Jimmy Lai, owner of Apple Daily. Stand News was founded by Tsoi Tung-ho, one of the ten key figures of the Occupy Central movement, who received considerable support from Lai. While Apple Daily operates its own online media and competes with Stand News and its predecessor, The Home News, Lai has shown support for various local media, even financially assisting his rivals. Notably, Lai contracted out to Home News a section called "Financial Center" in Apple Daily's financial edition, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly to aid Choi during a financial crisis. This kind of direct funding in support of a rival is difficult to explain and reflects a complicated relationship of the two media organizations.
Third, there is an alarming influx of undisclosed funding. Following police action against Stand News in 2021, the Secretary for Security froze its assets under the Hong Kong National Security Law, revealing that Stand had over $61 million in funds. Due to the organization’s lack of financial transparency, this amount might have gone unnoticed without police disclosure. An organization claiming to be non-profit yet possessing substantial assets raises questions about the true source of its funding. It remains unclear whether the $61 million was accrued through public support during protests or other undisclosed means.
Additionally, Stand News has intriguing overseas connections. Reports indicate that Evan Fowler, an overseas director of Stand News, co-founded the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), known for its anti-China stance, and is an associate fellow of the Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank with close ties to the U.S. and U.K. governments. Recent media coverage suggests that the U.S. and U.K. are leveraging think tanks like the Henry Jackson Society to shape public opinion against China.
Fourth, the Stand News case has not jeopardized legitimate media. The evidence presented in the Stand News case illustrates that it does not function as a typical media organization. The judgment noted that eleven articles published by Stand News incited hatred without objective basis, undermined the Justice Department's prosecution efforts, and spread falsehoods to encourage anti-government sentiment among protesters.
Judge Kwok emphasized that journalists must adhere to Article 19(3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which stipulates that media freedom is not absolute and does not shield one from legal responsibility. The judgment highlighted that journalists bear "special responsibilities and duties," including safeguarding national security, public order, and public health. Citing the European Convention on Human Rights, it reiterated that journalists must operate in good faith, based on accurate facts, to warrant protection under freedom of expression. The European Parliament's Code of Conduct for Journalists also stresses the importance of factual verification and impartiality.
In summary, legitimate media organizations conducting normal interviews and commentary—even critical of the government—would not face sedition charges. It is reasonable to conclude that typical news organizations do not embrace nativism as a core principle, possess vast financial resources, or publish a multitude of incendiary articles in a politically charged atmosphere, as noted by Judge Kwok.
In conclusion, Stand News was not operating as a normal media outlet.
Wing-hung Lo
Bastille Commentary
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Here's the opening act for 2026: Jimmy Lai faces sentencing, and right on cue, his daughter delivers a tearful BBC performance claiming her father is dying. She rattles off a dramatic list of supposedly terminal symptoms, blowing minor ailments wildly out of proportion. The most ridiculous fabrication to kick off the new year.
Throughout last year's trial, she and her brother Sebastien Lai fed the same tale to American and British outlets, banking on the old adage that repeat a lie enough times and it becomes truth. But their shabby playbook won't work this time. Authorities have rolled out hard evidence again and again, systematically demolishing their clumsy deception. Here's the irony: people who know Lai well say his health risks ran sky-high before prison—he could have collapsed any moment. Behind bars? Those risks plummeted.
Jimmy Lai's daughter claims to BBC he's "near death" with critical symptoms – all wildly exaggerated. This year's most ridiculous lie yet.
Jimmy Lai's conviction is final. Sentencing looms. The US and UK governments issue statements but take no action. His chances of walking free hover near zero. Yet his children refuse to quit. Their last card? Fabricate stories about their father's severe illness, hoping to manipulate foreign media into sympathy and manufacture public pressure. On New Year's Day, his daughter Claire Lai sat down with the BBC, tears flowing, painting a picture of extreme deterioration. Her "near-death" symptom checklist: grey-green fingernails falling off, rotting teeth, sudden heart problems he never had, weight loss, and lower back pain so severe he can barely stand. She catalogued every conceivable ailment to prove he's gravely ill and approaching the end.
They've recycled this performance repeatedly for foreign outlets—The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, The Independent, and Nikkei Asian Review, etc. Jimmy Lai's international legal team amplifies the chorus, releasing a solemn "research report" on Lai's grave condition and going so far as to rush it to the United Nations. The theatrics are complete.
Evidence Crushes Fiction
The "health problems" Jimmy Lai's children trumpet are either grotesquely exaggerated or outright invented—utterly absurd. The Hong Kong government has systematically refuted each claim with concrete evidence. And Lai's recent court appearance to hear the verdict, where he displayed no abnormalities whatsoever, demolished their narrative all by itself.
Start with the grey-green, falling fingernails. Yesterday, while condemning the BBC report, the Hong Kong government revealed that Jimmy Lai had mentioned some nail issues to the Correctional Services Department last year. The institution's doctor prescribed ointment. He recovered. Since this minor problem got treated, his fingernails looked rosy and perfectly normal when he appeared in court recently.
I looked up what causes grey-green nails that fall off. Turns out it's just an infection from a type of bacillus. Some housewives and beauticians get this condition. You treat it with ointment and it clears up. Claire Lai presenting this as a symptom of grave illness? It terrifies people who don't know better and makes those who do burst out laughing.
Falling nails, rotted teeth? Just minor ailments already treated. Yet his children cry "near death" – laughably absurd.
As for rotting teeth, it's more surprising if someone doesn't have bad teeth at 78. The government stated that Jimmy Lai requested dental care in 2021 and 2022. The dentist treated him. No problems since. He hasn't raised any further requests. Claire Lai has inflated her father's dental issues by a factor of N, lying without batting an eye.
Medical Tests Expose the Truth
During the trial in August last year, Jimmy Lai told the Correctional Services Department he experienced rapid heartbeat and palpitations. These are normal reactions to anxiety and tension. But the department didn't take chances. The Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre medical team conducted blood tests and electrocardiograms. They found nothing wrong. As a precaution, the team recommended he wear a Holter monitor. He initially refused but later agreed. Since then? No abnormalities detected. His heart is healthy.
Regarding Claire Lai's claim that her father has "lower back pain, sometimes even when standing, with difficulty getting up and walking," authorities don't even need medical evidence to refute this. Simply watch him move normally in court—no cane, no assistance required. That proves Claire Lai's claims are false. Even if he does have some backache, it's utterly common at his age.
Now consider the weight loss. Jimmy Lai's nickname is "Fat Lai." He's been overweight for years. Losing weight after imprisonment isn't just normal—it's a sign of improvement. The Correctional Services Department takes his physical condition seriously, conducting regular examinations. They certainly wouldn't let him balloon up or waste away.
Prison Actually Saved His Health
A friend who knows Jimmy Lai well told me his lifestyle before imprisonment was extremely "indulgent." He chronically overate and drank, ignoring his diabetes and obesity, still gorging on braised pork belly. His health risks ran sky-high. If that continued, his body would certainly face serious problems. In contrast, after imprisonment, his risks have dropped dramatically thanks to normal diet and regular routine.
Claire Lai keeps "making empty boasts." Western media and politicians continue treating fiction as fact, even though they know she's deceiving them. But even so, this cannot change the final outcome fast approaching for Jimmy Lai.
Lai Ting-yiu
