Written By Lisa Murimi
A 27-year-old Hong Kong man, Chu Kai-pong, has been sentenced to 14 months in jail after pleading guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan.
The sentence is the first under the new local national security law, Article 23, which was passed in March.
The law expands on the national security legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020, which critics argue threatens civil liberties.
Chu was arrested in June at a subway station for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a phrase linked to the 2019 anti-government protests.
He also wore a mask featuring “FDNOL”—short for “Five demands, not one less,” another protest slogan.
This is not Chu’s first arrest; he was previously jailed for three months for a similar offense.
During his recent arrest, he carried a box of excrement, allegedly for use against those who opposed his views.
Chief Magistrate Victor So, handpicked to hear national security cases, sentenced Chu, citing his intent to “reignite” the 2019 protests.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the ruling as an attack on free speech, calling for the repeal of Article 23.
