Exiled Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok has said a court ruling that imprisoned her father for eight months has strengthened her resolve to fight for the territory's people. Speaking to the Associated Press on Friday, Kwok, who is wanted by the Hong Kong government over her pro-democracy activism, said the authorities sought to weigh her down with guilt but she would not back down.
Her 69-year-old father, Kwok Yin-sang, was jailed on Thursday for attempting to withdraw roughly $11,000 from an insurance policy taken out on her behalf when she was a toddler. She gained control of the policy at age 18, but in 2025 he sought to terminate it and withdraw the money. He was arrested and accused of dealing with funds belonging to an “absconder”.
The case is the first targeting a family member of a wanted pro-democracy advocate under a 2024 national security law. Kwok, executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, called the sentence “ridiculous” and said it highlighted the personal costs of her activism. She acknowledged the emotional burden, saying her family now faced a very real personal cost.
Kwok is among 34 people for whom Hong Kong police have offered bounties, with 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $127,900) offered for information leading to her arrest. She is accused of lobbying for foreign sanctions and engaging in other hostile activities against China and Hong Kong during meetings with foreign politicians and officials.
Kwok said she is no longer able to speak with family and friends in Hong Kong, and decided to do an on-camera interview to reassure them that she is coping. She insisted she would not let the government burden her with guilt, saying, “It’s not my fault, but the regime’s fault and the regime’s purpose.” The U.S. State Department’s Riley Barnes called for her father’s immediate release, describing the targeting of advocates and their families as unacceptable.
