[Ta Kung Pao]The spokesperson of the Commissioner’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the US State Department spokesperson, the UK Foreign Affairs and Development Department Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the EU External Action Service spokesperson and others who disregarded the merits and made irresponsible remarks on the Hong Kong SAR court’s legally adjudicated “Stand News Case”, and stressed that:

First, “Stand News” stubbornly holds an anti-China and Hong Kong-disrupting stance, and continuously publishes articles that lack objective factual basis, intending to stir up public sentiment and incite citizens to be hostile to the central government and the SAR government. This is of a bad nature. “Stand News” claims to be a media organization, but in fact it has lost the objective and fair stance that the media should have, and is an outright political organization. The SAR court’s legal punishment of the organization and its personnel is a just move to safeguard national security and defend the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Second, on the issue of so-called “press freedom”, Western politicians have always upheld double standards. On the one hand, they turn a blind eye to their own country’s frequent crackdowns on news media, and on the other hand, they repeatedly use “press freedom” as a political tool to make excuses for anti-China and Hong Kong-disrupting organizations, wantonly smear and attack the rule of law and fair justice in the SAR, and advocate the so-called “chilling effect”, which is completely a distortion of right and wrong and a confusion of public opinion.

Third, since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the SAR National Security Ordinance, press freedom has been better protected in a safe, stable and law-based environment, which is a fact that no unbiased person can deny. We urge the relevant politicians to recognize the facts, stop shielding criminals, stop interfering in the SAR’s judiciary under the guise of press freedom, and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way.