In a recent court appearance on Jan. 4, a 26-year-old Hong Kong man, Chu Kai-pong, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an incident at Hong Kong International Airport in 2023. Airport officials discovered him wearing a shirt with pro-democracy slogans banned by Hong Kong authorities and related items in his backpack.
Mr. Chu was on his way to Taiwan via the Hong Kong International Airport on Nov.27, 2023. He was discovered by airport staff wearing a shirt with the banned slogan “Free Hong Kong, Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time.” A flag and other items bearing similar slogans were also found in his backpack. He was charged with “committing one count or multiple counts of acts with seditious intent” and “possession of seditious publications.” The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Jan. 4. Magistrate So Wai-Tak adjourned the case to Jan. 10 for sentencing. Before then, the defendant is to be remanded.
The defendant, Chu Kai-pong (26 years of age), was originally charged with another offense of “possessing another person’s identity card,” but the prosecution later dropped the charge.
During the videotaped interview, the defendant stated that he was leaving for Taiwan for a short-term job that day and had purchased the items in question in Taiwan in October 2022. The defendant admitted to supporting the ideals of “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times” and “Hong Kong Independence,” saying that “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times” means turning Hong Kong into an independent entity, returning to the era of British colonial rule, and no longer being under the control of the CCP. He associated “revolution” with taking “real actions” similar to those during the anti-extradition movement in 2019 to achieve these goals.
The defendant also stated that his choice of attire was a means of garnering public recognition and support for his ideals.
Magistrate Victor So Wai Tak agreed that the sustainability of this case was low but was concerned about the defendant’s statement that he was aware of the meaning of “revolution,” and queried whether the court needed to consider the defendant’s seditious intention. Steven Kwan, SC, responded that the defendant’s behavior amounts to no more than just putting on his upper body one piece of clothing during the alleged incident, and emphasized that the national security law does not intend to restrict people’s freedom of thought.
In the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong in 2019, millions of Hong Kong citizens participated in the event to resist further intrusion by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times” is one trademark slogan during that time. In 2020, the CCP promulgated the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law,” which overturns Hong Kong’s original “one country, two systems.” Hong Kong people’s freedoms, such as elections, media, speech, and opportunities, have all since been strangled, and thousands of people have been jailed under the new law.
Case number: WKCC 5138/2023
