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A Hong Kong court has convicted five speech therapists of sedition after they published a series of illustrated children’s books about cartoon animals, in a case critics say highlights tightening restriction on freedoms in the Chinese city. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
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The disbanded General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, an industry group, in 2020 and 2021 published stories about a “sheep village” that was bullied and attacked. Prosecutors alleged the stories were allegories that amounted to “indoctrinating” children to support separatism and hatred of Beijing.
The speech therapists face up to two years in prison, with sentencing expected on September 10.
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“Seditious intention stems not merely from the words, but from the words with the proscribed effects intended to result in the mind of children” said Hong Kong district judge Kwok Wai-kin as he handed down his verdict on Wednesday.
The therapists’ defence lawyers had argued the offence charged was “unconstitutional on the ground that it is inconsistent with their freedom of expression, speech and publication”.
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The case has been seen as a sign of vanishing freedoms in the financial hub since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 following mass pro-democracy protests the previous year. Hong Kong courts have taken an increasingly tough line against democracy activists.