Hong Kong man pleads guilty to sedition for wearing clothes with pro-independence slogans

Conviction for wearing T-shirt with words ‘Free Hong Kong, liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times’ is first under Article 23 law

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Hongkonger Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleads guilty to sedition at West Kowloon Court. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 1:48pm, 16 Sep 2024Updated: 10:43pm, 16 Sep 2024

A Hong Kong man has pleaded guilty to sedition under the city’s domestic national security law for wearing a T-shirt and mask with pro-independence messages as part of attempts to revive memories of the 2019 anti-government protests.

Chu Kai-pong, 27, is the first person convicted under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which was enacted in accordance with a requirement under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.

The unemployed Sha Tin resident on Monday admitted wearing a black T-shirt bearing the slogan “Free Hong Kong, liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” on his way to lunch on June 12 this year.

He had also worn a yellow mask emblazoned with the characters “FDNOL”, an apparent reference to the “five demands, not one less” protest mantra during the 2019 unrest.

Chu, who has been remanded in custody since June 14, pleaded guilty at West Kowloon Court to committing a seditious act in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges of loitering and failing to produce proof of identity.

A prosecution case summary said the defendant was “acting suspiciously” when a police officer spotted him outside Shek Mun MTR station at around 12.15pm that day.