Hong Kong speech therapists sentenced to 19 months over children’s books

The five had printed a series of children’s books about sheep and wolves that a court said was aimed at inciting hatred against authorities.

Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the Police National Security Department, with three children’s books that revolve around a village of sheep which has to deal with wolves from a different village in Hong Kong

A Hong Kong court has sentenced five speech therapists to nearly two years in prison for their role in the publication of children’s books deemed seditious.

The penalties are the latest sign of China’s hard line against free speech and any sign of political opposition in the city following the 2019 anti-government protests.

Beijing responded to the months-long demonstrations by imposing a sweeping National Security Law and disqualifying, imprisoning or silencing political opponents, many of whom have sought asylum abroad.

The five defendants have already been jailed for more than a year and may be eligible for early release under the terms of the 19-month sentence handed down on Saturday.

Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the Police National Security Department, speaks in front of a screen showing evidence of three children’s books that revolve around a village of sheep which has to deal with wolves from a different village, before a press conference in Hong Kong — Li Kwai-wah, of the Police National Security Department, speaks in front of a screen showing evidence from three children’s books that revolve around a village of sheep which has to deal with wolves from a different village, before a press conference in Hong Kong (Vincent Yu/AP)

They had pleaded not guilty but were convicted of sedition on Wednesday after they printed a series of children’s books about sheep and wolves that a court said was aimed at inciting hatred against authorities.

The clampdown has led to criticism that China’s ruling Communist Party has reneged on a 1997 pledge when Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China to retain the city’s western-style freedoms – including free speech.

Hong Kong authorities have purged and imprisoned politicians and teachers associated with the pro-democracy camp, shut down newspapers and pulled publications and artworks seen as critical of the Communist Party, which brooks no opposition.

Recent days have also seen the arrest of Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, for allegedly refusing to provide identification while reporting a news story about housing.