5 Hong Kong speech therapists behind controversial children’s books convicted on sedition charge
- The five put out three picture books on sheep defending their turf from wolves and were accused of portraying Beijing as a ‘totalitarian and ruthless’ regime
- Defendants face two years in jail, despite being remanded in custody for more than a year; Amnesty International calls for their release ‘immediately’
Five speech therapists behind a series of children’s books containing provocative depictions of mainland China were convicted on Wednesday of the production and distribution of publications that breached Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition law.
A District Court judge approved by the city’s leader to adjudicate national security cases upheld the constitutionality of the 1938 law.
Judge Kwok Wai-kin said it was an “important tool” to mend the city’s constitutional order, restore national unity and prevent civil unrest similar to that in the summer of 2019 from happening again.
He also dismissed the defence’s assertion that the 1938 legislation contravened freedom of speech and highlighted that people could still criticise Beijing and the Hong Kong government as long as they did not demean or damage the legitimacy of the authorities.
The defendants face two years in jail, although they have been remanded in custody on national security grounds for more than a year.