Who Is Captain America 2.0? Why Was He Jailed In Hong Kong?

A Hong Kong activist, who wielded Captain America's shield at pro-democracy demonstrations, has landed in jail.

Last month, District Court Judge Stanley Chan ruled that former delivery man Ma Chun-man, known as "Captain America 2.0," was guilty of inciting secession due to the statements he made to the press, placards he held and slogans he chanted, reported CNN.

Without naming the politician, Chan said that the 31-year-old was incited by a politician and he "eventually became an instigator himself," and in this context, it's not easy to guarantee there won't be others like him.

Chun-man did not testify, had pleaded not guilty and wrote in a letter to the judge, which he signed with his nickname, saying that he did not "feel any regret," according to NBC News. He said in the letter that he can't afford to be a coward while being on his road to freedom and democracy.

Before he was sentenced to five years and nine months in jail by the judge, a part of his letter was read out in court. Videos of him chanting "Hong Kong Independence, the only way out," was shown in court, and authorities also seized a notebook titled "Captain America's Diary of Resistance."

Before the sentencing, a defense lawyer, Edwin Choy, called for leniency saying Chun-man's chants and slogans had no great impact, and he had not committed violent acts. One of his attorneys, Chris Ng, said that he was not sure whether Chun-man would appeal later.

The biggest pro-democracy protests that Hong Kong has faced since returning to rule under the Chinese in 1997 came to an end in June last year when China imposed the national security law on the semi-autonomous former British colony. According to the law, if a person does anything that China sees as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with international forces, he or she would be punished with up to life in prison.

It has been slammed for being a tool to crush individual freedoms and to purge political opponents. But Beijing said that all rights and freedoms, and rule of law are still intact, and that the legislation was required to end the unrest that's often violent and plug loopholes in the national security.

Under the law, Chun-man's conviction was the second. Earlier, Tong Ying-kit, a former waiter, who rode a bike into a group of cops, displaying the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times," was sentenced to jail for nine years. The slogan was "capable of inciting secession," the court had ruled. For allegedly using his bike as a weapon, he was also convicted of terrorism, and he is now appealing.