Hong Kong Man Jailed for Wearing Protest T-Shirt

A 27-year-old Hong Kong man was jailed for 14 months under the new national security law for wearing a protest T-shirt during the fifth anniversary of the 2019 protests.

A 27-year-old man from Hong Kong has become the first person to go to jail for sedition under the city’s new security law. The man, Chu Kai-pong, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan.

Chief Magistrate Victor So gave the sentence on Thursday. Chu admitted to wearing the shirt with the words "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." This slogan was popular during the 2019 protests. The court had already said that the slogan could make people think about secession, or breaking away from China.

Hong Kong made these new laws stronger in March 2024. Now, people who are charged with sedition can get up to seven years in prison. Before, it was only two years. If there is involvement with foreign forces, the sentence can go up to 10 years.

Chu was arrested on June 12 at a subway station. He was wearing the T-shirt and a yellow mask with the letters "FDNOL." This stands for "five demands, not one less," another famous saying from the 2019 protests. Chu was arrested on the fifth anniversary of one of the first big protest actions.

In his decision, Magistrate So said that Chu’s actions were dangerous. "If the law doesn’t stop acts like this early, it will cause chaos in society again," So explained. He also said that Chu chose a day full of meaning to make people remember the protests. So felt this could cause more problems in Hong Kong.

Chu told the police that the slogan on his T-shirt was a way of asking to return Hong Kong to British rule. He said he wore the shirt to remind people about the protests.

Chu’s lawyer, Steven Kwan, said that no one was influenced by Chu’s T-shirt in the 25 minutes he wore it in public. But the court still found him guilty.

The words on Chu’s shirt, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times," were shouted by many during the protests in 2019. Those protests first started because people didn’t agree with a new extradition law. But soon, the protests grew to call for more freedoms in Hong Kong. These protests often led to clashes between police and protestors.

In 2020, the Chinese government made a new security law to stop the protests. This law was made to stop people from breaking away, creating trouble, working with foreign forces, or causing terror. After that, Hong Kong made more laws to increase control.

Many critics, including Western governments, say the law is being used to stop people from speaking out. But the Hong Kong and Chinese governments say these laws are important to keep peace and close gaps in the legal system.