Hong Kong man sentenced to 14 months in prison for wearing 'seditious' T-shirt

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A Hong Kong man convicted for wearing a "seditious" T-shirt last year was sentenced to 14 months in jail under the city's new security law that continues to crack down on supporters of anti-government demonstrations that occurred in 2019.

Chief Magistrate Victor So said in his judgment Thursday that Chu Kai-pong, 27, sought to "reignite the ideas behind the 2019 protests by wearing the T-shirt that read "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times."

He added that Chu "showed no remorse" after being convicted in January for wearing a T-shirt that bore the same slogan.

The sentencing guidelines for Chu had originally been set at 18 months with an additional three in consideration of his earlier conviction.

The sentence was ultimately downgraded after Chu pleaded guilty earlier this week.

He also wore a face mask with the acronym FDNOL, a protest phrase that stood for "Five demands, not one less."

So said that the defense's argument that Chu misunderstood that slogan, which bears a similar meaning to "Liberate Hong Kong" nor its claims that there was no proof people had been incited by his actions were not mitigating factors.

"What is important is his criminal intent," So said.

He was the first person convicted under the national security law that expands on security laws called for by Beijing in 2020. While Chinese authorities and Hong Kong said the laws have led to peace, opponents said it violates civil liberties.

The new law targets those accused of espionage, external interference, insurrection, sedition, theft of state secrets, and treason. It has been slammed by the United Nations and many Western countries as vague, overly broad, and regressive.