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A 27-year-old man from Hong Kong, Chu Kai-pong, has pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan. This marks the first conviction under the city's new national security law, which was passed in March, reported Voice of America.
According to reports, Chu faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. The sentence could extend up to 10 years if deemed that he colluded with foreign forces. Chu was arrested on June 12 while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" and a yellow mask with "FDNOL," an abbreviation for another protest slogan, "five demands, not one less." These slogans were prominent during the large-scale and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests of 2019, and June 12 was a key kick-off day of the months-long unrests, the Voice of America reported. Notably, the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, enacted by the Chinese central government on July 1, 2020, significantly altered the territory's legal and political landscape. In March 2024, Hong Kong passed a second new security law, a home-grown ordinance also known as "Article 23" according to its parent provision in the city's mini constitution, the Basic Law. Critics, including the US government, have expressed concerns over the new security law and said the vaguely defined provisions regarding "sedition" could be used to curb dissent. Critics argue that the NSL undermines the "one country, two systems" framework, which was intended to preserve Hong Kong's freedoms and autonomy until 2047. Under the NSL, both the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have swiftly acted to eliminate civil liberties in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government has increasingly misused a broadly defined colonial-era sedition law to suppress peaceful expression. This law has been employed against children's book authors, academics, individuals who distributed pro-independence flyers, and even those who clapped during the trial of a pro-democracy activist. The complex issues between Hong Kong and China trace back to their historical relationship and the handover of sovereignty. Hong Kong was a British colony from the 19th century until 1997, when sovereignty was transferred to China under the "one country, two systems" framework. This arrangement was designed to allow Hong Kong to maintain its separate legal and economic systems for 50 years, preserving its distinctive freedoms and autonomy. However, over time, tensions have escalated as Beijing's influence has grown, leading to significant disputes over political freedoms and governance. (ANI)
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