A teaching consultant at Chinese University’s journalism school was arrested by Hong Kong national security police on Monday morning for allegedly conspiring to publish and reproduce seditious materials. The suspect, 54-year-old Allan Au Ka-lun, was also a veteran journalist who had worked at local media outlets TVB and RTHK, and had shared his political views in columns for various publications and on social media. Au was arrested at his home in Highland Park in Kwai Chung by officers from the force’s National Security Department at about 6.30am under a colonial-era law covering conspiracy to print or distribute seditious material. The offence is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of HK$5,000 (US$638). A police source said that articles written by Au and published on the now-defunct online outlet Stand News were alleged to have incited hatred against the government. Au was released without being charged from Kwai Chung Police Station at 11.35pm. He did not respond to media inquiries. He must report back in mid-July. Without naming the suspect, the department only said in a statement that officers had arrested a 54-year-old man in Kwai Chung for conspiracy to publish seditious materials, contravening Sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance. “Investigation is under way and further arrests may be made,” the statement read. Au was the eighth suspect to be arrested by national security police in connection with Stand News. The news outlet dismissed all its staff and shut down in December after seven others were arrested for publishing allegedly seditious material. Police also froze HK$61 million worth of Stand News’ assets. The suspects arrested in December included acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-tung and former chief editor Chung Pui-kuen. Ex-opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, singer and activist Denise Ho Wan-sze, writer Chow Tat-chi and Christine Fang Meng-sang – all former board members – were also arrested. The seventh suspect was Chan Pui-man, a former Apple Daily associate editor who is married to Chung and who was already remanded in custody after being charged with collusion with foreign forces last July. Hong Kong’s Stand News shuts down after 7 held, assets frozen More than 200 police officers were involved in the December raid on Stand News’ offices in Kwun Tong, carting away 33 boxes of evidence including computers and journalistic materials. The homes of some of the accused were also searched as part of the operation. At her regular press briefing on Monday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who had been a guest on programmes hosted by Au in the past, declined to comment on the particulars of his arrest. However, she did say the city was governed by the rule of law, adding: “The implementation of national security will of course be carried out consistently to protect the safety of the country and Hong Kong.” Asked whether press freedom had been jeopardised by the arrest, Lam said both it and freedom of speech were protected by the city’s mini-constitution and the national security law. After folding of Stand News and Citizen News, where next for Hong Kong media? Fielding a similar question at a campaign stop on Monday, chief executive hopeful John Lee Ka-chiu said he did not know the details of the case, but added that Hongkongers “still have plenty of freedom if they follow the law”. “Freedom of the press and speech are well guaranteed in the Basic Law, and all the freedoms stated in the Basic Law meet international standards,” he said. “There has not been any single change in the wording of our Basic Law since the handover [in 1997].” Speaking at a later campaign stop, he added that “the public should not immediately leap to any speculation or attacks just because a certain case involves a particular person with a specific background”. Lo Kin-hei, chairman of the opposition Democratic Party, urged authorities to tell the public exactly what seditious content Au was accused of publishing. “If they hope to warn people not to commit a crime, they have to draw the red line clearly,” he said. Additional reporting by Lilian Cheng and Sammy Heung