A Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) student was sentenced to six months in prison on Tuesday, having been found guilty by a Hong Kong court of attempting to commit sedition. The sedition charges arose from the student’s plan to display a banner of The Pillar of Shame, a sculpture once erected in Hong Kong to honour the memory of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Local news reports stated that the student pleaded guilty to the charge.
The prosecution’s argument centred around the student’s acquisition of a Pillar of Shame banner from foreign activists and her intentions to display the banner in Causeway Bay on June 4, coinciding with the anniversary of the incendiary 1989 Tiananmen Square event. Concerns were raised over photos and memos found on the student’s phone, which indicated plans to participate in protests.
According to reports, Hong Kong’s law enforcement clamped down on planned protests around the anniversary. The Magistrate presiding over the sentencing deemed the student’s case severe due to foreign activists’ involvement and the banner’s capacity to evoke emotional responses owing to its sensitive content.
Although the landmark sculpture has been a longstanding presence prior to its removal in December 2021, the court felt the banner’s display amounted to an adequately calculated act warranting penalty. Despite this, the Magistrate did acknowledge that the banner did not incite violence.
Following the conviction, Human Rights in China Executive Director Zhou Feng-suo publicly accepted responsibility for providing the defendant with the banner for the memorials of the 1989 event. However, the human rights organisation’s affiliation had no bearing on the court’s decision. Notably, Zhou had previously caught local media’s attention this August when national security police planned to apprehend Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt, creator of the Pillar of Shame.
Galschiøt sought clarity regarding any charges filed against him but was met with silence, with the police citing potential prejudice towards pending or future criminal investigations and proceedings. The verdict of this high-profile case has raised questions around the legal implications of commemorative protests and the limits of freedom of expression in the Hong Kong region. As this contentious issue unfolds, legal professionals will undoubtedly be keeping a close watch on its potential ramifications.