Hong Kong: Media baron Jimmy Lai, six former Apple Daily employees hit with fresh sedition charge

Prosecutors on Tuesday added the fresh count to the seven defendants’ indictment as they returned to West Kowloon Court for another pretrial hearing before their case is transferred to the higher Court of First Instance to be heard, reports South China Morning Post.

The new charge under the Crimes Ordinance alleges that the defendants conspired to print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display or reproduce seditious publications between April 1, 2019 and June 24 of this year, the date of Apple Daily’s final edition, according to the newspaper.

They were accused of doing so with the intent to “raise discontent or disaffection” among the city’s inhabitants, “incite persons to violence”, “counsel disobedience to law or to any lawful order”, or “bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection” against the central authorities, the Hong Kong government or the administration of justice, the newspaper reported.

Apart from Jimmy, the other six employees are editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong, publisher Cheung Kim-hung, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, and editorial writers Fung Wai-kwong and Yeung Ching-kee.

The latest allegations also target three affiliated companies – the tabloid-style Apple Daily, Apple Daily Printing and AD Internet – despite the winding up of their parent company, Next Digital, earlier this month, the newspaper reported.

All of them are currently in custody.