Wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan on it has led to a Hong Kong man being jailed for 14 months. He pleaded guilty to a charge of sedition.
This is the first jail term to be handed down by the city’s court under a new national security law that was passed in March.
The law, also called Article 23, widens the reach of a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
The BBC reports that 27-year-old Chu Kai-pong was arrested at a subway station in June wearing a T-shirt bearing the phrase “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”. He was also wearing a mask that read “FDNOL”, the initials of another slogan, “Five demands, not one less”.
Both slogans were frequently heard in large-scale protests in Hong Kong during the months-long anti-government demonstrations in 2019. Local media reported he was also carrying a box containing his excrement to use against people opposing his views.
When Article 23 was introduced, critics said they feared the law would further erode civil liberties in the city, but Beijing and Hong Kong defended the measure, insisting it was necessary for stability.