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Magistrate Minnie Wat said a deterrent sentence was needed as
the anthem is a symbol of a country's dignity and territorial
integrity.
Photographer Cheng Wing-chun, 27, had earlier this month been
found guilty of insulting the anthem at the Eastern Magistrates'
Court. He had pleaded not guilty.
The court heard how Cheng had uploaded a YouTube video in which
he substituted China's national anthem with a popular protest
song, "Glory to Hong Kong" during a gold medal presentation
ceremony for Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung.
The video was widely shared with 90,000 views, according to the
magistrate.
Cheng is the first person tried under the national anthem law
that was passed in 2020. It criminalises disrespect of China's
national anthem, with up to three years imprisonment or fines of
up to HK$50,000 (US$ 6,400).
The legality of "Glory To Hong Kong" - a popular protest song
during the city's months-long pro-democracy protests in 2019 -
is now being determined by a Hong Kong court after the
government sought a legal injunction seeking to ban the playing
and distribution of the song, including its lyrics and melody.
(Reporting by Justin Fung; Editing by James Pomfret, Bernadette
Baum and Angus MacSwan)
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