The Hong Kong government has rejected “smears” by an international media freedom coalition after 23 partner countries expressed concern about a court ruling that found the former editors of shuttered independent news outlet Stand News guilty of sedition. Members of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) in a statement on Monday said they were “gravely concerned” about the court verdict and “the wider suppression of media freedom” in Hong Kong. Among the 23 signatories were the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, and Ireland. In response, the government said on Tuesday that it “disapproved of and …
