The Facts
Hong Kong's Final Court of Appeal on Tuesday unanimously dismissed Lui Sai-yu’s bid to reduce his five-year jail term. The university student pleaded guilty to inciting secession in April 2022.
The five-judge panel ruled that the security law imposes a minimum five-year sentence for serious offenses, further stressing that a guilty plea isn't a mitigating factor in the law as the conditions listed in Article 33 are exhaustive.
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
Hong Kong has begun to bring illegal and violent activities carried out by anti-China forces to an end, but there's still a long way to go. It is vital to tackle covert actions that amount to unconstitutional soft resistance, which can equally undermine the situation.
Anti-China narrative
Beijing's puppet government in Hong Kong increasingly argues that “soft resistance” must be cracked down to safeguard national security, but it remains unclear what the expression means. This vague concept could be used to deepen repression against ordinary citizens —ultimately prohibiting speech and thinking the authorities dislike.