Five Hong Kong speech therapists have been sentenced to 19 months imprisonment for publishing what prosecutors said were anti-government “seditious” children’s books. The sentencing of the two men and three women is seen as another nail in the coffin of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong.
The illustrated book series in question was about a group of sheep wanting to protect their village from a group of bad wolves. They were metaphorically depicting the 2019 anti-extradition protests and other events that occurred in Hong Kong.
One defendant, Lorie Lai Man-ling, chairperson of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, refused to plead guilty to the charges. District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin continuously interrupted Lai during her testimony.
Lai said she was convinced that the stories in the children’s books, accused of being a “seditious publication,” were based on the truth.
Lai’s Instagram account, currently managed by her friend, posted an article titled “An Insight Before Sentencing” at midnight on Sep. 10. Its content was said to be the mitigation speech Lai gave in court.
A letter that was believed to be Lai’s testimony to mitigate the severity of the crime and hence the punishment, was revealed recently.
In a 700-word letter, Lai said that the prosecution is not only targeting her and the other four members of the General Union, but also the 2019 anti-Extradition movement and the core values behind it: democracy, human rights, and justice. “You can judge us, but you cannot judge what happened in 2019,” Lai said.
Although Lai knew from day one of her arrest that she would have zero chance of winning the case, she refused to plead guilty even if it meant her sentence would not be reduced.
“What I said is true and I am willing to pay the price to exercise freedom of speech. Even though I lost, I lost with dignity, I lost with a clear conscience.”
“An Insight Before Sentencing” attracted a lot of attention after it was released.
It is reported that Samuel Lai Kwok-wing, a former pro-democracy member of the Yuen Long District Council, who now resides in Taiwan, shared Lai’s speech on Facebook. He said that he felt encouraged after reading it. He said that Lai has demonstrated perfectly how to live with dignity, and called on netizens to leave messages on her Instagram account, “to let her know that what she did is not in vain.”
Some netizens wrote, “I have always hesitated whether to leave or stay in Hong Kong. Time flies and it has been over a year. I am waiting for you/you guys to come back. #respect.”
The others convicted of sedition were: Lorie Lai, Vice Chairlady of External Affairs of the General Union Melody Yeung Yat-yee; Sidney Ng Hau-yi, Secretary; Samuel Chan Yuen-sum, Treasurer; and Macro Fong Tsz-ho, executive committee member. After being convicted of “conspiracy to print, publish, distribute, display or reproduce seditious publications,” all five defendants were sentenced to 19 months in prison on Sept.10 by Judge Kwok Wai-kin, appointed by the national security law.
