Jobless man jailed for sedition after sharing social media posts that attacked Beijing and Hong Kong government
- Man, 53, jailed for four months after he admits sharing seditious social media posts on Telegram channel
- Court hears posts attacked Beijing and the Hong Kong government or called for city’s independence

A 53-year-old man was on Thursday jailed for four months under a colonial-era sedition law after he shared 23 social media posts that attacked Beijing and the Hong Kong government or called for the city’s independence.
Former merchant Raymond Chen, who appeared before a magistrate hand-picked for national security cases by the city leader, pleaded guilty to committing an act or acts with seditious intent by reposting the images and text messages on his Telegram channel between July 2020 and June this year.
West Kowloon Court heard that Chen, who is jobless, started the “HK’s upcoming War of Independence” channel and shared posts published by other Telegram users. There were more than 500 members in his group.
Some of the posts on the platform blamed the central government for instigating the 2019 anti-government protests and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Others displayed images of a desecrated national emblem or claimed that the city’s police and MTR Corporation had colluded with triads.
Some included the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”, the rallying cry of the 2019 protests, which was branded as separatist by the authorities. Others wanted the establishment of a Hong Kong nation or encouraged people to undergo military training in preparation for standing up against the government.