Hong Kong man jailed for 14 months over ‘seditious’ T-shirt | Politics News

The First Conviction Under Hong Kong’s National Security Law

A Hong Kong man, Chu Kai-pong, has been sentenced to 14 months in jail for wearing a T-shirt and mask with protest slogans deemed seditious, marking the first conviction under the city’s tough new national security law, known as Article 23.

Chu, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of “doing acts with seditious intention,” for wearing a T-shirt reading “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” and a yellow mask printed with “FDNOL” on a significant date, June 12, the fifth anniversary of the city’s pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The 2019 protests, the most significant challenge since the handover to China in 1997, were quelled through arrests, exiling activists, the pandemic, and an earlier security law. Under the new legislation, Chu’s actions were judged as an attempt to reignite unrest.

Quelling Dissent

The national security law, Article 23, was imposed by China in mid-2020 to suppress dissent, granting a maximum penalty of 10 years for seditious acts. Critics fear this law will further erode freedoms in Hong Kong, which was once a beacon of liberty in China.

Since its implementation, over 300 arrests have been made under the security laws, with 160 convictions. The judiciary’s use of the sedition law has sparked concerns about the future of free speech and dissent in Hong Kong.