Hong Kong teen gets probation for seditious graffiti
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A Hong Kong court sentenced 19-year-old Leung Kai-lok to an 18-month probation order on Wednesday after convicting him of writing seditious words in a bathroom cubicle in Tsim Sha Tsui last year . The sentence is unusual because jail is generally the default for national security-related offences, while non-custodial penalties are rarely imposed .
Key Points
- Leung Kai-lok, whom the defence said has autism, was sentenced at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts after being convicted last month .
- Prosecutors said he wrote seditious messages on a male bathroom cubicle wall in China Hong Kong City on three occasions between July 17 and 21 .
- He faced one sedition charge and three criminal damage charges, and he pleaded guilty to the criminal damage counts .
- The messages included a threat against Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and an abbreviated form of the 2019 protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” .
- Magistrate Victor So said the impact was limited because the words were written in a bathroom, and ordered HK$1,500 compensation alongside probation .
Why It Matters
The ruling stands out because sedition is an offence under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, or Article 23, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years, or 10 years if an external force is involved . For Hong Kong readers, the case shows that courts may still weigh the scale of publication, personal circumstances and time already spent in remand when sentencing in national security cases .