Following massive democracy protests in the Chinese city in 2019, authorities have revived a colonial-era sedition offence to jail dozens of residents, which critics have decried as political suppression.
Finance company worker Kurt Leung, 38, was sentenced to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to "importing seditious publications" -- the first known conviction of its kind in recent years.
One of the books fictionalised the closure of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and told a story similar to The Emperor's New Clothes where truth-telling sheep were punished, the court heard on Friday.
Prosecutors said Leung and his boss worked together to import 18 picture books -- in three sets of six -- from the United Kingdom via mail.
Leung took receipt of the delivery at their office address and was arrested on March 13.
The books spread "twisted values and inaccurate messages" to children by painting Beijing as the "evil and barbaric invader", chief magistrate Victor So said in his ruling.
"If seditious thoughts were to take root in the younger generation, those thoughts may grow and the effect may spread across generations," So said.
"Any sensible person can tell that the books are seditious," he added.
Defence lawyer Anson Wong told the court on Friday there was no evidence that the books were distributed or that Leung had seditious intent.
"The books objectively had the (seditious) intention, but the defendant subjectively did not," Wong said, adding that prosecutors had agreed.
In a letter to the court, Leung offered "sincere apologies" but the chief magistrate said the sentence must have an element of deterrence.
The crime of importing seditious publication carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment for first-time offenders.
In recent years, the sedition offence has often been used by Hong Kong prosecutors in parallel with a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed in 2020.
Sedition cases often involved defendants with no public profile, in contrast to security law cases which mostly target well-known activists and politicians.
In September 2022, the original creators of the "sheep village" series -- five speech therapists -- were each jailed for 19 months in a separate sedition prosecution.
Chow Yun-fat laments Chinese censorship at BIFF
Busan, South Korea (AFP) Oct 5, 2023 -
Hong Kong film legend Chow Yun-fat on Thursday lamented China's "difficult" censorship while conceding the mainland market's crucial financial importance for filmmakers.
Speaking at South Korea's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Chow told reporters that Hong Kong's cinema industry had to learn to play by a new set of rules since the city returned to China's control in 1997.
"We have a lot of censorship requirements in mainland China. Our scripts must go through a lot of different departments for the film bureau", BIFF's Asian Filmmaker of the Year honouree said.
But while Chow said things were "very difficult" for Hong Kong's filmmakers, they also knew it was necessary to reach the "huge" mainland Chinese audience to "make a living".
"We have to pay attention to our government ... otherwise it is very hard to get the money to shoot a movie," he said, adding they still strove to maintain the "Hong Kong spirit".
In announcing this year's honour, BIFF organisers heaped praise on Chow for "spearheading the golden age of Hong Kong cinema" that flowered in the early 1990s, and making "Hong Kong noir" a globally recognised genre.
Three of Chow's films -- "A Better Tomorrow" (1986), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) and 2023's "One More Chance" -- will be screened at the festival.
- Freedom -
Along with Tony Leung, his "Hard Boiled" co-star and 2022 BIFF honouree, Chow has long been a well-liked figure in South Korea thanks to Hong Kong cinema's surge in popularity in the 1990s.
Since then, South Korea has cemented its own status as a global cultural powerhouse, and has had explosive successes like Oscar-winning film "Parasite" and the Netflix series "Squid Game".
"It's a good thing that when one industry feels stagnant and unable to move forward, another region can take it even further," Chow said, when asked about the rise of South Korean cinema.
"I believe the greatest strength of Korean cinema lies in its freedom."
Despite his prolific career and global fame, Chow said he still considers himself an "ordinary person".
In 2018, he vowed to donate his fortune to charity after he dies.
Chow quipped Thursday that it was his wife's decision, but added: "I believe that since I came into this world with nothing, it doesn't really matter if I leave with nothing as well."
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