Hong Kong pro-democracy DJ gets 40 months in jail for sedition / Photo: Philip FONG - AFP/File
-
Piastri says team orders clarified at McLaren
-
'Box office' McLaughlin-Levrone -- rarely seen but worth the wait
-
Stocks rise on Nvidia-Intel deal, Fed rate cut
-
US medical panel insists it's 'pro-vaccine'
-
Trump says Putin has 'let me down' as UK state visit ends
-
IMF proposes US Treasury official as second-in-command
-
McLaughlin-Levrone mulls Olympic 400m double after silencing doubters
-
McLaughlin-Levrone steals the show at worlds, Botswana take men's one-lap gold
-
Clashes, disruption in France on day of anger against Macron
-
Mitchell defends England's 'route-one' tactics at Rugby World Cup
-
Antonelli vows to bounce back from Wolff criticism
-
Mourinho appointed at Benfica as he returns to Portugal
-
McLaughlin-Levrone powers to 400m world gold in second fastest time ever
-
Costs of Russian, Chinese cyberattacks on German firms on rise: report
-
Stock markets rise after Nvidia's Intel deal, Fed rate cut
-
McLaughlin-Levrone nears world record as she wins women's world 400m gold
-
Australian teen Gout hungry for more after worlds exit
-
Trump, Starmer sign tech deal to seal 'unbreakable bond'
-
Lyles, Tebogo sail into world 200m final but Gout out
-
Tennis legend Bjorn Borg reveals cocaine use in memoir
-
Clashes, disruption in France on day of anti-Macron 'anger'
-
Hodgkinson settles nerves in Tokyo after injury doubts
-
Coventry praises Milan-Cortina venue progress as IOC executives meet in Milan
-
Jaden Smith at Louboutin stirs fresh 'nepo-baby' fashion debate
-
Bank of England holds rate as inflation stays high
-
Tough topics top Trump-Starmer talks after regal welcome
-
Toulon's Jaminet eager to return for France after racist video
-
Gold medallists Kipyegon, Chebet line up 5,000m clash for world double
-
London Fashion Week hopes to usher in new era with leadership change
-
Benfica negotiating with Mourinho to be new coach
-
Deliveroo CEO to step down following DoorDash takeover
-
Stock markets fluctuate after Fed rate cut
-
S. Korea prosecutors seek arrest of Unification Church leader
-
England star Kildunne fit for World Cup semi-final against France
-
Jimmy Kimmel show yanked after government pressure over Kirk comments
-
Trump's UK state visit turns to politics after regal welcome
-
Malnutrition causes unrecognised type of diabetes: experts
-
China critic Takaichi joins party race, could become Japan's first woman leader
-
New Picasso portrait unveiled at Paris auction house
-
Israeli tanks, jets bombard Gaza City as Palestinians flee
-
Major disruption hits France on day of anti-Macron 'anger'
-
Germany's Continental launches IPO of car parts unit
-
Messi, Inter Miami agree to extend contract beyond 2026: source
-
Cambodian PM accuses Thai forces of evicting civilians on border
-
Trump says designating Antifa 'a major terrorist organization'
-
Wallabies scrum-half Gordon back fit for Bledisloe Cup clashes
-
US vaccine panel to hold high-stakes policy meeting
-
In Nigeria's nightclubs, the bathroom selfie is king - or, rather, queen
-
Glitter and Soviet nostalgia: Russia revives Eurovision rival contest
-
EU seeks 'face-saving' deal on UN climate target
NYSE - LSE
| CMSC | -0.39% | 24.325 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.49% | 24.4 | $ | |
| RBGPF | -0.87% | 76.6 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.98% | 70.46 | $ | |
| RIO | -1.7% | 61.935 | $ | |
| SCS | 1.21% | 16.935 | $ | |
| BCC | 1.78% | 81.92 | $ | |
| BCE | -0.87% | 23.288 | $ | |
| RYCEF | 0.46% | 15.32 | $ | |
| GSK | -0.26% | 40.255 | $ | |
| BP | 0.64% | 34.52 | $ | |
| BTI | -1.86% | 55.005 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.11% | 13.865 | $ | |
| VOD | -1.79% | 11.455 | $ | |
| AZN | -1.24% | 76.735 | $ | |
| RELX | 1.53% | 47.82 | $ |
Hong Kong pro-democracy DJ gets 40 months in jail for sedition
A pro-democracy Hong Kong radio DJ was jailed for 40 months on Wednesday for "seditious speech" under a British colonial-era law authorities have embraced as China flattens dissent in the city.
Tam Tak-chi, 49, is among a growing number of activists charged with sedition, a previously little-used law that prosecutors have dusted off in the wake of massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The DJ's sentencing was aggravated because his seditious speech continued after China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, Judge Stanley Chan said Wednesday while announcing the punishment.
"Live long, mother, wait for me," Tam shouted afterwards as he was taken away from the court.
Better known by his moniker "Fast Beat", Tam hosted a popular online talk show that backed democracy and was highly critical of the government, often using colourful language.
He was a regular presence at the city's pro-democracy protests and often set up street booths to deliver political speeches.
Prosecutors accused Tam of inciting hatred against the authorities by chanting the popular protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times", cursing the police force, and repeatedly shouting "Down with the Communist Party".
Judge Chan said Tam was "just a 50-year-old coarse man railing recklessly" in pursuit of a well-paid seat in the Hong Kong legislature.
Tam said in a Facebook post that he would appeal
"My conviction affects Hong Kong people's freedom of speech," he wrote.
His 40-month prison sentence may not be the end of his legal troubles -- he has been denied bail in a separate national security case.
Tam's trial was the first since Hong Kong's 1997 handover in which a sedition defendant pleaded not guilty and fought through a full trial.
His conviction and sentencing will set precedents for a host of upcoming sedition prosecutions as China remoulds Hong Kong in its own authoritarian image.
Sedition, with a maximum penalty of two years in jail, is separate from the city's security law, but the courts now treat it with the same severity as acts that endanger national security.
X.Karnes--AMWN
