
Patrick Lam Shiu-tung had no intent to undermine national security, defence counsel argues
A lawyer for former Stand News acting chief editor Patrick Lam Shiu-tung argued in a High Court appeal that he was only fulfilling his duties and lacked intent to undermine national security.
AI-generated summary
Stand News was convicted of sedition in August 2024, leading to guilty verdicts for former editors Patrick Lam Shiu-tung and Chung Pui-kuen.
A former acting chief editor for the now-defunct Stand News was fulfilling his duty to publish articles and had no intent to undermine national security in Hong Kong, his lawyer has said, despite an earlier conviction finding the outlet liable for sedition.
A panel of High Court justices pointed out on Tuesday that the presiding trial judge had ruled Patrick Lam Shiu-tung’s decision to run material containing false information from interviewees and had the seditious effect of inciting hatred against authorities.
They noted the point was among the grounds for the appellant’s earlier conviction.
In August 2024, Lam was found guilty of a joint conspiracy charge of publishing and reproducing seditious material along with former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and Best Pencil (Hong Kong), Stand News’ holding company.

Fu Guoqing, vice president of the Higher People's Court of Shandong Province, said on the 23rd that since 2023, courts across the province have concluded 52,000 agricultural-related disputes in accordance with the law, focusing on providing judicial protection in the protection of cultivated land, intellectual property rights in the seed industry, rural land transfer, marine pastures, and crackdowns on gangs and evil, and promote the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

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The Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Public Security jointly issued the "Opinions on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Laws in the Handling of Criminal Cases Involving Fentanyl Substances", which divide fentanyl substances into two categories: medicinal and non-medicinal, and refer to the quantitative standards of fentanyl and heroin respectively for conviction and sentencing, and refine the work responsibilities of the three organs of public security, procuratorate, and law, so as to severely punish crimes involving fentanyl substances in accordance with the law.