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“Winnie the Pooh” horror movie axed under shadow of self-censorship
A screening of the British horror movie “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” was cancelled after cinemas in Hong Kong collectively declined to show it, according to its distributor. One of the organisers of the screening cited “technical” reasons for the cancellation. The director of the movie commented that “The cinemas agreed to show it, then…
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Joshua Wong sentenced to 3 months in prison for revealing personal details of police officer
On 17 April 2023, pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was jailed for 3 months for posting on social media in 2020 personal details of a police officer. The officer had shot an unarmed protestor with a live round during the 2019 extradition bill protests, leaving the protestor in critical condition. The protestor was later convicted of protest-related offences and sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment, whereas by…
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Hong Kong police intimidate rally organizers
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong police have consistently banned public gatherings for ‘health’ reasons. In March 2023, the police ostensibly started granting permission for public gatherings again, but the reality is that there remain grossly unacceptable fetters on the freedom of assembly. In March to April 2023, there were several…
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Stand News “sedition” trial continues, with lack of due process
Patrick Lam and Chung Pui-Kuen, editors of the independent news outlet Stand News, were arrested in December 2021. Their trial for conspiracy to publish “seditious materials” had already taken 36 days by February 2023, exceeding the planned duration of 20 days, and will tentatively take until the end of March. Lack of due process was…