An 18-year-old Hong Kong man faces up to seven years in prison for spray-painting “seditious remarks” on the wall of a public toilet, Hong Kong police announced on Wednesday.
The graffiti incited hatred, contempt or disaffection towards the government, the authorities explained without specifying the content of the inscription.
The young man, a part-time employee who had just finished high school, appeared in court on Wednesday, accused of having committed “one or more acts with seditious intent” and of causing property damage.
He could be sentenced to a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for these acts committed between July 17 and 21, according to the court file consulted by AFP.
The judge rejected the accused’s bail application and the case was adjourned until August 19.
Since the introduction of two national security laws in 2020 and 2024, opposition to the Hong Kong government and China has been suppressed numerous times.
Beijing had imposed that of 2020 after sometimes violent demonstrations in favor of democracy the previous year.
