Hong Kong woman arrested for allegedly wearing seditious T-shirt outside court

Hong Kong authorities have apprehended a woman for allegedly donning a T-shirt bearing a message deemed seditious near West Kowloon Court. The incident occurred on Monday night, following her detention last week on suspicion of disorderly conduct in a public space, hindering police, and demonstrating seditious intent. A police spokesperson stated that the primary objective of the security operation was to maintain public safety and order, though the specifics of the operation remain undisclosed.

The arrest took place just hours before a verdict was announced against two former leaders of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. The pair, alongside the alliance, were charged with inciting subversion under the national security law by advocating for the end of "one-party dictatorship" in mainland China.

As the woman waited to hear the judgment, a plainclothes officer approached her, suspecting her shirt of containing seditious intent, and led her into a police vehicle. The event was filmed by media outlets, and officers instructed journalists to depart as the woman was removed. The woman, identified by a witness as wearing a black T-shirt printed with Japanese characters, was subsequently charged.

Lee Cheuk‑yan and Chow Hang‑tung, the former alliance leaders, were found guilty of inciting subversion in a 216-page ruling, with the High Court judges concluding that any attempt to overthrow or undermine the Communist Party of China's leadership could be considered subversion under Hong Kong's constitution. Lee and Chow have been in custody for nearly five years, while a fourth defendant, former vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun‑yan, remains detained for over four years and awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in January.