A Hong Kong court has found Kwok Yin-sang, 68, guilty of a national security violation for attempting to terminate his daughter's insurance policy and withdraw funds. The case marks the first conviction under Article 23, a homegrown security law enacted in 2024.
Kwok's daughter, Anna Kwok, is a pro-democracy activist based in Washington and leads the Hong Kong Democracy Council. She is among 34 overseas activists wanted by Hong Kong police, who have offered a HK$1 million bounty for her arrest on charges of colluding with foreign forces.
The court heard that Kwok Yin-sang tried to withdraw HK$88,609 from an education savings policy he had taken out for his daughter when she was two. He pleaded not guilty and did not testify. Acting Principal Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi ruled that handling the policy of a fugitive was illegal.
Defence lawyer Steven Kwan argued that the law should not apply to a parent managing a policy bought years earlier, calling it "a form of prosecution based on family ties." Anna Kwok said the targeting of her father aimed to "weaponise human emotions against me."
Sentencing is expected in weeks, with a maximum of seven years' imprisonment. Kwok was initially denied bail but later granted bail with conditions including a travel ban and a ban on contacting his daughter. His son, also arrested for the same offence, remains on bail.
Human Rights Watch's Asia director, Elaine Pearson, described the conviction as "cruel and vindictive," reflecting Hong Kong's increasing alignment with mainland Chinese tactics against regime critics. The case follows the 20-year sentence handed to high-profile critic Jimmy Lai on Monday.
