A Hong Kong court has convicted Kwok Yin-sang, the 68-year-old father of pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok, under the city's homegrown national security law, known as Article 23. He is the first person charged under this law for attempting to handle funds belonging to an absconder.
Kwok Yin-sang was found guilty of trying to withdraw 88,609 Hong Kong dollars from an education savings insurance policy he had taken out for his daughter when she was a child. The acting principal magistrate ruled that since Anna Kwok is a wanted fugitive, any direct or indirect handling of her financial assets is illegal.
Anna Kwok, who leads the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, is one of 34 overseas activists wanted by Hong Kong national security police, with a bounty of 1 million Hong Kong dollars offered for her arrest. She condemned the conviction as an attempt to weaponise family ties against her.
The defence argued that the law should not apply to a parent managing a policy taken out years ago, calling it a prosecution based on family ties. Sentencing is expected within weeks, with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Human rights groups have criticised the conviction as cruel and vindictive, highlighting the increasing use of tactics in Hong Kong that mirror those in mainland China. The case follows the sentencing of high-profile critic Jimmy Lai to 20 years for national security offences.
