HONG KONG: On Friday (May 2), local media reported that Hong Kong’s national security police have detained the father and brother of wanted activist Anna Kwok for allegedly managing her finances. This marks the first time the city’s security law has been applied to family members of an activist.
Kwok, who serves as the executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council in Washington, is among 19 overseas activists sought by the national security police. She faces accusations of collaborating with foreign entities, and authorities have offered a reward of HK$1 million (approximately US$127,656) for her capture.
In a press release on Friday, the national security police announced the arrest of two men, aged 35 and 68, on April 30, suspecting them of “attempting to manage, either directly or indirectly, any funds or other financial assets” linked to Kwok.
Sources cited by local media indicated that these individuals are Kwok’s father and brother.
The 68-year-old man has been formally charged on Friday morning with attempting to handle Kwok’s finances. Police specified that the arrestees were involved in modifying the details of her insurance policy and trying to withdraw its remaining funds.
The older man is set to appear in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts later today, while the younger man has been released on bail as the investigation continues.
Attempts to contact a lawyer representing Kwok’s relatives were unsuccessful.
Authorities have alerted the public that dealing with the finances of someone on the run is a serious crime, which could lead to a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
The United States has strongly criticized the ongoing harassment of pro-democracy activists’ families living abroad by Hong Kong.
Officials from China and Hong Kong argue that the law has reinstated the stability necessary to maintain Hong Kong’s economic prosperity.
