Two senior Hong Kong journalists have been jailed in China on charges of running an "illegal business."

The two journalists, publisher Wang Jianmin and editor Guo Zhongxiao, worked for political magazines New-Way and Multiple Face, which published rumors and gossip stories on Chinese leaders, according to the Straits Times.

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Even though they published the magazines in Hong Kong, they were found guilty of sending copies to the mainland. Wang, 63, was jailed for five years and three months while Guo, 41, was handed down a jail sentence of two years and three months at the Shenzhen Nanshan district court on Tuesday.

Both journalists were arrested in Shenzhen in May 2014 and pleaded guilty in November 2015. The pair will not file an appeal against the court's decision.

The move is being seen as another attempt by Chinese authorities to restrict the influence of Hong Kong media in the mainland and will once again raise tensions between both countries after China's recent crackdown on HK booksellers.

Last year, five Hong Kong booksellers who published gossipy news about top Chinese authorities went missing, only to found in detention in China. One of the booksellers, Lam Wing-Kee, managed to return to Hong Kong and revealed explosive details about his time in captivity.

"The jail terms were very heavy. The publications were in fact printed in Hong Kong by registered companies here," Hong Kong Journalists Association chairwoman Sham Yee-lan told the South China Morning Post about the sentencing "It appears that the Chinese government has intensified its crackdown on such publications."

Human Rights organizations have also urged the Hong Kong government to take decisive action and help its citizens.

TagsHong Kong journalists, Hong Kong, china, jail, Hong Kong journalists jailed, Hong Kong booksellers, Wang Jianmin, Guo Zhongxiao