Hong Kong Civil Servants Arrested for "Seditious" Social Media Posts
On Aug 9, national security police arrested 4 men, two of whom are civil servants, for allegedly publishing seditious posts online, Hong Kong Police said.
Sources claim that the two civil servants are the administrators for the "Civil Servants Secrets" Facebook page, which publishes stories submitted anonymously by civil servants of the city. The relevant Facebook page and Instagram are both currently down.
Police said that the two, aged 28 and 29, published seditious posts that "promoted feelings of hostility between different classes of the city's population".
Police had further investigated 5 other men, two of whom were arrested for allegedly committing fraud. Police searched their homes and workplaces, and confiscated electronic communication devices. Police said that the operation is ongoing, and there may be more arrests connected to the case.
Oscar Kwok, Head of the Hong Kong Civil Service College, spoke to reporters from HK01 last Friday that he reads the "Civil Servants Secrets" page to understand their feelings. Kwok had served in the police force for 32 years, and said that he hopes the public - particularly the media - would speak more positively of civil servants and show gratitude for their work, so that they could be more motivated to serve the public.
A message from someone who claimed to have witnessed one of the arrests at a government office quickly circulated online. The message said that police arrived at their office in large numbers, and the staff was told not to touch their computers. Several computers were confiscated, including one that was said to contain very sensitive data. The whole office was shocked. The source said: the managers looked sombre, and the rest of the staff kept their heads down as they quietly went back to work.
Source:
Channel C, HK01 #Aug09
https://bit.ly/3vQxSVQ
#CivilServants #Suppression #FreedomOfSpeech #NationalSecurityLaw
#FacebookPage #CivilServantSecret #Seditious
On Aug 9, national security police arrested 4 men, two of whom are civil servants, for allegedly publishing seditious posts online, Hong Kong Police said.
Sources claim that the two civil servants are the administrators for the "Civil Servants Secrets" Facebook page, which publishes stories submitted anonymously by civil servants of the city. The relevant Facebook page and Instagram are both currently down.
Police said that the two, aged 28 and 29, published seditious posts that "promoted feelings of hostility between different classes of the city's population".
Police had further investigated 5 other men, two of whom were arrested for allegedly committing fraud. Police searched their homes and workplaces, and confiscated electronic communication devices. Police said that the operation is ongoing, and there may be more arrests connected to the case.
Oscar Kwok, Head of the Hong Kong Civil Service College, spoke to reporters from HK01 last Friday that he reads the "Civil Servants Secrets" page to understand their feelings. Kwok had served in the police force for 32 years, and said that he hopes the public - particularly the media - would speak more positively of civil servants and show gratitude for their work, so that they could be more motivated to serve the public.
A message from someone who claimed to have witnessed one of the arrests at a government office quickly circulated online. The message said that police arrived at their office in large numbers, and the staff was told not to touch their computers. Several computers were confiscated, including one that was said to contain very sensitive data. The whole office was shocked. The source said: the managers looked sombre, and the rest of the staff kept their heads down as they quietly went back to work.
Source:
Channel C, HK01 #Aug09
https://bit.ly/3vQxSVQ
#CivilServants #Suppression #FreedomOfSpeech #NationalSecurityLaw
#FacebookPage #CivilServantSecret #Seditious
Channelchk
國安處拘4男 據悉2人為「公務員Secrets」Admin 被指發佈煽動帖文 | Channel C
警方國安處拘捕4名男子，其中2名分別28及29歲的男子為社交平台管理員，涉嫌違反「作出具煽動意圖的作為」罪，多間傳媒引述消息指，2人為「公務員Secrets」的管理員，目前facebook專頁「公務員Secrets」及Instagram帳戶已無法登入。
Hong Kong Man Arrested for Sedition Outside British Consulate after Playing Songs while Mourning the Queen
Large crowds of Hongkongers gathered outside the British Consulate in Central on Monday evening, as the Queen's state funeral took place in London at the same time. Many lit candles in remembrance of the late queen.
One man brought his harmonica and allegedly performed various songs, including #GodSaveTheQueen and #GloryToHongKong. This reportedly caused a commotion in the gathered crowd, and the police arrested him after around half an hour.
Police announced today (20th) that the man was suspected to have taken actions with seditious intent, and is currently under arrest for investigation.
source: Hong Kong Economic Times #Sep20
https://topick.hket.com/article/3357355/【英女王逝世】43歲男昨悼念疑奏英國國歌及榮光等歌曲%E3%80%80涉作出具煽動意圖行為被捕
editor's note: The sedition law, under which the man was charged, dated back to Hong Kong's colonial days. Britain has repealed the offence of seditious libel in 2009. In July 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee had urged Hong Kong to abolish its sedition law as well as the National Security Law as they violated the freedom of expression in the city.
see also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s sedition law – a colonial relic revived after half a century (Hong Kong Free Press)
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/30/explainer-hong-kongs-sedition-law-a-colonial-relic-revived-after-half-a-century/
#Sedition #FreedomOfExpression #FreedomOfSpeech
Large crowds of Hongkongers gathered outside the British Consulate in Central on Monday evening, as the Queen's state funeral took place in London at the same time. Many lit candles in remembrance of the late queen.
One man brought his harmonica and allegedly performed various songs, including #GodSaveTheQueen and #GloryToHongKong. This reportedly caused a commotion in the gathered crowd, and the police arrested him after around half an hour.
Police announced today (20th) that the man was suspected to have taken actions with seditious intent, and is currently under arrest for investigation.
source: Hong Kong Economic Times #Sep20
https://topick.hket.com/article/3357355/【英女王逝世】43歲男昨悼念疑奏英國國歌及榮光等歌曲%E3%80%80涉作出具煽動意圖行為被捕
editor's note: The sedition law, under which the man was charged, dated back to Hong Kong's colonial days. Britain has repealed the offence of seditious libel in 2009. In July 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee had urged Hong Kong to abolish its sedition law as well as the National Security Law as they violated the freedom of expression in the city.
see also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s sedition law – a colonial relic revived after half a century (Hong Kong Free Press)
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/30/explainer-hong-kongs-sedition-law-a-colonial-relic-revived-after-half-a-century/
#Sedition #FreedomOfExpression #FreedomOfSpeech
Hket
【英女王逝世】43歲男昨悼念疑奏英國國歌及榮光等歌曲 涉作出具煽動意圖行為被捕
英女王伊利沙白二世（Queen Elizabeth II）國葬於當地時間周一（19日）上午11時舉行，除了英國當地大批民眾弔唁女王外，不少香港市民到英國駐港總領事館弔唁，昨晚有市民自發到領事館外以燭光
"Glory to Hong Kong 2023 Edition" Re-Released; Production Team Echoes Sentiments of "Not Wanting to Lose Freedom to Choose Music"
Source: In-Media HK #Jun19
#GloryToHongKong #FreedomOfSpeech #Suppression
Read more
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Source: In-Media HK #Jun19
#GloryToHongKong #FreedomOfSpeech #Suppression
Read more
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"Glory to Hong Kong 2023 Edition" Re-Released; Production Team Echoes Sentiments of "Not Wanting to Lose Freedom to Choose Music"
Hong Kong's protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong" was suddenly taken offline across multiple streaming platforms after the government filed an injunction to ban the song earlier this month. At the time, the production team cited "technical issues" unrelated to the streaming platforms, not political reasons, as the cause for the takedown.
Within a week, the team has re-released a "2023 Edition" of the anthem on KKBox, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other platforms. The newer version is labeled "remastered" in the title. The melody and lyrics have remained unchanged.
Prior to the takedown, the anthem had taken over the top spots on multiple streaming services within 24 hours of the government's injunction filing. The song's unannounced disappearance was met with reactions of dismay by netizens, as well as anger at what appeared to be the streaming platforms bowing to government pressure to silence the song.
Dgxmusic, the team behind the anthem, responded to the public's concerns through a Facebook post, expressing that they understand the sentiment of "not wanting to lose even the freedom to choose music", and will strive to uphold this aspiration. They also "firmly oppose any attempts to restrict freedom of thought and speech."
The High Court has scheduled the hearing for the injunction on July 21.
Source: In-Media HK #Jun19
#GloryToHongKong #FreedomOfSpeech #Suppression
Hong Kong's protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong" was suddenly taken offline across multiple streaming platforms after the government filed an injunction to ban the song earlier this month. At the time, the production team cited "technical issues" unrelated to the streaming platforms, not political reasons, as the cause for the takedown.
Within a week, the team has re-released a "2023 Edition" of the anthem on KKBox, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other platforms. The newer version is labeled "remastered" in the title. The melody and lyrics have remained unchanged.
Prior to the takedown, the anthem had taken over the top spots on multiple streaming services within 24 hours of the government's injunction filing. The song's unannounced disappearance was met with reactions of dismay by netizens, as well as anger at what appeared to be the streaming platforms bowing to government pressure to silence the song.
Dgxmusic, the team behind the anthem, responded to the public's concerns through a Facebook post, expressing that they understand the sentiment of "not wanting to lose even the freedom to choose music", and will strive to uphold this aspiration. They also "firmly oppose any attempts to restrict freedom of thought and speech."
The High Court has scheduled the hearing for the injunction on July 21.
Source: In-Media HK #Jun19
#GloryToHongKong #FreedomOfSpeech #Suppression