Hong Kong: young man convicted for wearing a "seditious" T-shirt in first Article 23 conviction
The Hong Kong man's article of clothing contained a slogan from the 2020 protests, opposing the authoritarian and pro-Beijing shift of the local government, which is becoming increasingly absorbed into the institutions and dynamics of the rest of China.
Police in Hong Kong
A Hong Kong man pleaded guilty before a court to wearing a "seditious" T-shirt in public. The controversial case is part of the new Hong Kong legal framework which has been extremely hostile to political opposition since Article 23 was implemented. The legal reform is aimed at countering foreign interference which has been strongly endorsed by the local government.
In this case, Chu Kai-Pong, a 27-year-old Hong Kong man and resident of Sha Tin neighborhood, admitted that his public attire violated the latest controversial article of the small and troubled Constitution of the Chinese territory, which is increasingly losing autonomy and individual freedoms due to pressure from Beijing.
According to South China Morning Post, the black T-shirt contained the message "Free Hong Kong, liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." This is a reference to the strong waves of protests that erupted between 2019 and 2020 in the territory. Along with that T-shirt, he also wore a yellow mask with the acronym "FDNOL," another reference to the mass demonstrations against the authoritarian and pro-Beijing drift of the local government.
The events occurred on June 12 this year, when Chu Kai-Pong was on his way to have lunch. Since then, the Hong Kong native has been in custody. At trial, he decided to plead guilty after reaching an agreement with the prosecution to drop some of the charges against him.
According to EFE news agency, the prosecution alleged that Chu Kai-Pong's clothing could "incite hatred, contempt or disaffection against the fundamental system of the state established by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China." The young man's sentence will be handed down next Thursday.
Article 23 allows activists to be prosecuted
Article 23 allows Hong Kong to "effectively prevent, prohibit and punish espionage activities, foreign intelligence plots and traps, infiltration and sabotage carried out by hostile forces," according to John Lee, leader of the current local executive. The Hong Kong leader was tasked with overseeing the 2020 protests as the territory's Security Secretary until 2021.
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