Responding to a Hong Kong court’s conviction of the father of US-based pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok under the city’s Article 23 law, Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas spokesperson Joey Siu said:
“This conviction is the first time a family member of a ‘wanted’ pro-democracy activist living abroad has been convicted under Hong Kong’s national security laws. It marks a disturbing escalation in the Hong Kong government’s repressive use of ‘Article 23’.
“The absurd bounty placed on Anna Kwok’s head due to her activism is already a brazen attack on her freedom of expression. Now, as Hong Kong authorities stoop to a new low, her father faces jail solely for an alleged attempt to access insurance funds belonging to his daughter.
“This apparently politically motivated conviction of an activist’s close relative also sets a dangerous precedent, designed to terrify and silence others who continue to speak out about Hong Kong issues from overseas.
“Hong Kong authorities must immediately release the father of Anna Kwok, as well as all others accused of assisting activists in exile, unless they can show they have committed an internationally recognized crime.”
Background
The father of Anna Kwok was today convicted of attempting to deal with funds linked to an “absconder”, an offence under the Hong Kong’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, often referred to as the ‘Article 23’ law.
Anna Kwok is a US-based Hong Kong activist wanted for “colluding with foreign forces”, with national security police offering a reward of HK$1m (US$128,000) for information leading to her capture. She is one of the 34 activists in exile targeted with a bounty.
In late 2024, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Chris Tang invoked his powers under Article 23 to cancel Kwok’s Hong Kong passport, declare her an “absconder”, and prohibit her from dealing with funds, other financial assets or economic resources in Hong Kong, along with six of the other exiled activists.
Since Hong Kong’s National Security Law came into effect in June 2020, the human rights situation in the city has deteriorated dramatically, with the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association among the rights under sustained attack.
The city’s Article 23 law, enacted in March 2024, has further squeezed people’s freedoms and enabled authorities to intensify their crackdown on peaceful activism in the city and beyond.
