Father of Hong Kong Activist Found Guilty Under Controversial Security Law
Anna Kwok addressed a gathering in Washington D.C. on June 3, 2024, honoring the victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, while her father faced legal repercussions back home.
HONG KONG — In a landmark ruling, a court convicted Kwok Yin-sang, the father of a U.S.-based activist, for attempting to manage his daughter's financial assets, marking a significant case under Hong Kong's national security law. This conviction comes as authorities intensify their crackdown on dissent following the 2019 protests.
Kwok's daughter, Anna, serves as the executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council. In 2023, Hong Kong authorities placed a bounty of 1 million Hong Kong dollars (approximately $127,900) for information leading to her arrest and subsequently prohibited any financial transactions on her behalf.
At 69 years old, Kwok was arrested in April 2025 under the local security law, known as Article 23. He faced allegations of attempting to access funds from an insurance policy taken out for Anna when she was a child. Despite his not guilty plea, the acting principal magistrate Cheng Lim-chi determined that Kwok was aware of his daughter's status as an absconder and was attempting to manage her assets.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Anna gained control of the insurance policy upon turning 18. The court heard that Kwok sought to cancel this policy in 2025 to retrieve funds.
Kwok's defense attorney, Steven Kwan, argued for leniency, asserting that there was no proof his client intended to send money to his daughter. He proposed a minimal sentence of 14 days in prison.
The maximum penalty for Kwok's charge could reach seven years; however, since his case was processed in magistrates' court, the typical maximum sentence is capped at two years. Sentencing is set for February 26.
Authorities have accused Anna of soliciting foreign sanctions and engaging in hostile activities against China and Hong Kong by meeting with international politicians and officials.
Following the verdict, the Hong Kong Democratic Council condemned the ruling on social media, labeling it as another instance of transnational repression.
Joey Siu, spokesperson for Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, characterized the conviction as politically motivated. "This sets a dangerous precedent aimed at intimidating and silencing those who advocate for Hong Kong from abroad," she stated, calling for Kwok's immediate release.
The U.S. and U.K. governments have criticized the police's bounties targeting overseas activists, including Siu and former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui.
In 2025, Washington imposed sanctions on six Chinese and Hong Kong officials accused of participating in "transnational repression" that threatens to undermine the city's autonomy. The U.S. government asserted that Beijing has exploited national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate activists who have fled abroad.
In response, China announced it would sanction U.S. officials and NGOs deemed to have mishandled Hong Kong matters.
Since the implementation of the national security law in 2020, numerous prominent activists have been arrested or silenced, while others have sought refuge overseas to continue their advocacy for Hong Kong—a former British colony that reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Both the Chinese and Hong Kong governments maintain that these security laws are essential for maintaining stability within the city.
