Sentenced Over Children’s Books, Hong Kong Speech Therapists Refused to Plead Guilty
Five Hong Kong speech therapists have been sentenced to 19 months imprisonment for publishing what prosecutors said were anti-government “seditious” children’s books. The sentencing of the two men and three women is seen as another nail in the coffin of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong.
The illustrated book series in question was about a group of sheep wanting to protect their village from a group of bad wolves. They were metaphorically depicting the 2019 anti-extradition protests and other events that occurred in Hong Kong.
One defendant, Lorie Lai Man-ling, chairperson of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists, refused to plead guilty to the charges. District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin continuously interrupted Lai during her testimony….