Hong Kong speech therapists sentenced to 19 months for books

A Hong Kong court sentenced five speech therapists to nearly two years in prison Saturday 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 antigovernment protests.
Beijing responded to the monthslong 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 Saturday. They had pleaded not guilty but were convicted of sedition 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.