Chu Kai-pong was sentenced under a new law for wearing a protest slogan t-shirt, with harsher penalties for seditious acts.

A Hong Kong man was sentenced to 14 months in prison on Thursday, becoming the first person convicted under the new national security law. Chu Kai-pong, 27, was arrested for wearing a t-shirt that read, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." This slogan had been a rallying cry for anti-government protesters during the 2019 demonstrations. Chu's choice to wear the shirt on June 12 was also seen as significant, as it marked the fifth anniversary of the day protesters surrounded Hong Kong's legislative council complex.

Authorities argued that the slogan advocated for Hong Kong's separation from China, a position deemed a "red line" by Beijing. On Monday, Chu pleaded guilty to committing a seditious act. This is not his first conviction related to provocative t-shirts. Less than a year ago, in January, he was sentenced to three months in jail under a colonial-era law for wearing a shirt bearing the abbreviation "FDNOL," a reference to the protest slogan "Five demands, not one less."

Chief Magistrate Victor So, who presided over the case, remarked that Chu appeared "evidently unwilling to reform." Under Hong Kong's new national security law, the penalties for seditious acts are significantly harsher. Defendants can now face up to seven years in prison, compared to the previous maximum of two years for a first offense and three years for a subsequent offense.

Critics argue that the new law will only serve to suppress free speech in Hong Kong. Although Chu faced a possible three-year sentence, the court reduced it due to his guilty plea.