A Portuguese man has become the first European citizen jailed under the China-imposed National Security Law in Hong Kong, a law widely criticised by rights groups.

Joseph John, also known as Wong Kin-chung, holds a Portuguese passport and Hong Kong residency and was previously based in the UK.

He was arrested for posting pro-independence and anti-China content on social media, after returning to Hong Kong to visit family in 2022

In February, he was convicted of “secession” and on Thursday sentenced to five years in jail.

Under the law, secession is the offence of advocating for Hong Kong to break away from China.