A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced a 46-year-old clerk to four months in prison for insulting Chinese President Xi Jinping and calling for the downfall of the Communist Party in a string of online comments.
Chow Man-wai, a maritime company employee, pleaded guilty to violating a colonial-era sedition law by posting 49 offensive statements on Reddit-like forum LIHKG between March and September this year.
West Kowloon Court heard Chow had called for the death of Xi and his family while supporting international sanctions and plans to kill the Chinese leader.
Prosecutors argued the comments had provoked hatred towards Beijing and the Hong Kong government, as well as incited residents to break the law.
Police national security unit has deemed the comments the defendant posted as offensive. Photo: Warton Li
Comments accusing Beijing officials of corruption and perpetration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square “massacre” were also deemed offensive by police national security unit, which was in charge of Chow’s prosecution.
The court also heard Chow was in favour of sanctions against the city’s prosecutors and their families.
The defendant has been remanded in custody since his first court appearance on September 19.
Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, whom city leader John Lee Ka-chiu gave the green light to oversee national security proceedings, said Chow’s remarks posed a challenge to Beijing’s “sovereignty and esteem”.
Chow’s provocation of violence also risked galvanising ignorant people into committing an offence, the magistrate added.
The accused posted the comments on LIHKG forum. Photo: SCMP
The court handed Chow the four-month sentence after knocking off two months in recognition of his early guilty plea.
While it is not among the offences covered by the Beijing-imposed 2020 national security law, sedition has been ruled by the Court of Final Appeal as capable of endangering the country’s safety.
Prosecutors can ask that cases be heard only by judges approved by the chief executive, and defendants may face a higher bar for bail.
Sedition is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment for a first conviction.
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