Man who wore 'seditious' T-shirt is first to be convicted under new Hong Kong national security law
A Hong Kong man pleaded guilty on Monday to sedition for wearing a T-shirt bearing a protest slogan, in the Chinese territory’s first conviction under local national security legislation that was enacted in March.
HONG KONG — A Hong Kong man pleaded guilty Monday to sedition for wearing a T-shirt bearing a protest slogan, in the Chinese territory’s first conviction under new local national security legislation.
Chu Kai-pong, 27, was arrested at a subway station on June 12 while wearing a T-shirt with the phrase “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.” He was also wearing a yellow mask that said “FDNOL,” which stands for “five demands, not one less.”
Both slogans as well as the color yellow were associated with mass pro-democracy protests in 2019 that roiled the international financial hub for months, and a Hong Kong court ruled in 2021 that the “Liberate Hong Kong” phrase was capable of inciting secession. Chu was arrested on the anniversary of an early clash between protesters and police in 2019.
Chu told police that he wore the T-shirt to remind people of the protests, the court heard, according to Reuters. He pleaded guilty to one count of “doing with a seditious intention an act.”
Chu was previously jailed for sedition for three months in January for wearing a T-shirt with the same “Liberate Hong Kong” slogan. He was arrested in November while wearing the shirt at the Hong Kong airport.
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