By Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee

Originally, the chances of acquittal were not that good, and practical opinions suggested he plead guilty to receive a one-third sentence reduction. Including the days already spent in detention, the remaining days were not too many. However, he refused because he wanted to make a clear statement for his beliefs in journalism. Thus, he endured a lengthy trial and left a detailed public record under today’s legal standards for press freedom.

He willingly held on, only worried that he might not speak well enough or clearly enough.

This man, tall and thin, was stubborn by nature. Back then, online media were not so widely accepted yet; the public didn’t realize how important they would become one day, accustomed to accessing online content for free. The online media outlet at which he served as the editor-in-chief began to face financial difficulties. He held on, foregoing his own salary, and his colleagues worked overtime without complaints, but as the person in charge, he couldn’t help feeling melancholy. As a board member with no financial ability or business acumen, I was of no help. A senior advised him to logically reduce the coverage scope and focus the limited resources on certain service areas. He was surprised and puzzled, and didn’t consider it: What would be the point of doing journalism then? Is that all the team’s contribution amounted to? So, he kept going. 

Finally, it seemed like a public event during a social movement; he shyly tried crowdfunding. I stood by his side, watching ordinary citizens put money into our donation box one by one. He was as excited as a child, simply thrilled to feel the readers’ enthusiastic appreciation directly.

Later, as times grew increasingly severe and everyone became more worried, news information became even more crucial.

He held on until the very end, and later, as they say, what happened next became history. No one could measure what mental strength he relied on during those 21 months of lost freedom. Perhaps he didn’t need external support, but now, from the bottom of our hearts, we desperately wish to support him. How about, during these 300+ days, we take turns to write a press release every day, save them, and when we reunite, bind them into a volume for him, as if to hand in our assignment? Kuen, hang in there, we will uphold your beliefs and support you.