Chinese Man Becomes First to Be Imprisoned Under New Anti-Sedition Law. His Crime Was Wearing a T-Shirt

A man was sentenced to more than a year in prison for wearing a shirt the Hong Kong government deems a danger to national security under its new anti-sedition law.

On the fifth anniversary of the anti-government protests in 2019, Chu Kai-pong, 27, wore a shirt bearing the protest's slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times," according to the Associated Press. He also donned a mask that read "FDNOL," an abbreviation for another protest slogan, "Five demands, not one less."

The prosecution accused Chu of attempting to cause hatred, contempt, or dissatisfaction toward the city and country. Chu pleaded guilty to carrying out an act with a seditious intent because he said he wanted to remind people of the protests.

Chief Magistrate Victor So sentenced Chu to 14 months in prison, stating the date Chu wore the shirt was further proof he posed a great risk to social order.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International China's director, said Chu's arrest is "a blatant attack on the right to freedom of expression."

"The conviction and sentencing of Chu Kai-pong over his choice of clothing also highlights the sheer malice of Hong Kong's new Article 23 law, which expands the government's powers to punish so-called 'seditious' acts. Chu Kai-pong is the first person convicted under this legislation, but its vague wording, vast scope and repressive nature leaves Hong Kongers fearing that he will not be the last. We once again urge the Hong Kong authorities to repeal this law," she wrote.

A second man, Chung Man-kit, was sentenced to one year in prison under the same law for scrawling pro-independence messages on the back of bus seats.

The new security law, which went into effect in March, can put anyone who commits sedition in jail for seven years and collusion with an external force to carry out the act increases the sentence to 10 years.