Hong Kong man jailed for insulting China's national anthem
Friday, 21 July 2023 (13:10 IST)
A Hong Kong court on Thursday handed a 3-month jail sentence to a man for allegedly insulting the Chinese national anthem.
Cheng Wing-chun is accused of editing a Youtube video which shows Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung receiving a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Cheng, a 27-year-old photographer, allegedly spliced out China's national anthem from the video and replaced it with Hong Kong pro-democracy protest song "Glory to Hong Kong." The video was uploaded in 2021, with the court ruling earlier this month that Cheng edited the video on purpose.
Hong Kong court: Cheng 'incited' anti-China commenters
Hong Kong Magistrate Minnie Wat said the jail sentence was necessary as the court had to prevent imitators. She said the video garnered more than 90,000 views.
Wat said Cheng showed no remorse for actions and that he "incited people in the comments section to insult the dignity of the national anthem."
Cheng is the first person to be punished under a Chinese national anthem law that was implemented in 2020. The law makes disrepecting the Chinese national anthem illegal, with offenders receiving up to three years in jail or fines of as much as HK$50,000 ($6,400; €5,710).
The "Glory to Hong Kong" song first became famous during the city's monthslong pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 and 2020. The song's Cantonese lyrics are an outlet for Hong Kongers who are angered by Beijing's political interference in the city's affairs.
The Hong Kong government, however, believes the song advocates complete succession from China. Hong Kong officials have called for a complete ban on the playing and distribution of the protest anthem.
Hong Kong reportedly questioning family members of pro-democracy activists
The censorship of the Hong Kong protest anthem is just one aspect of the pro-democracy crackdown in the city. Hong Kong local media reported Thursday that police questioned the brother of pro-democracy activist Dennis Kwok.
Kwok was formerly in Hong Kong's legislature and is now based in the US. On July 3, Hong Kong posted arrest warrants for eight overseas pro-democracy activists, including Kwok, on charges of foreign collusion and incitement to secession.
AFP news agency reported Thursday that three relatives of unionist Mung Siu-tat were also taken in for questioning. Mung was also named in the arrest warrants earlier this month.
The eight activists were charged under a controversial 2020 national security law. Critics, such as the US and UK government, say the law backed by the Chinese government is an infringement on the "One country, two systems" principle, which temporarily grants Hong Kongers basic rights such as freedom of speech and assembly.
