Hong Kong police have questioned the parents of pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow after she announced she had fled to Canada, local media reported on Friday citing sources. Chow failed to report to authorities this week, as per the bail conditions surrounding her national security allegation.
Chow’s mother was invited to assist police investigation as the guarantor of her daughter’s bail, sources told local media on Friday, adding that both of Chow’s parents attended Tai Po police station on Friday morning. HKFP has reached out to the police for comment.
Chow, 27, was arrested in 2020 on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces under the national security law Beijing imposed in June that year. While Chow was not formally charged, she was released on bail and was allowed to study abroad on the condition that she reported in person to police at specific times.
The activist said on December 3 that she had decided not to return after “considering the situation in Hong Kong, my personal safety, my physical and mental health.”
Police on Thursday confirmed that Chow had not reported to authorities on time, as they condemned Chow’s “shameful acts of absconding to avoid legal responsibilities.” The city’s leader, John Lee, and the national security police had previously vowed that fugitives “will be pursued for life.”
Chow – one of the best known young faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movements – was jailed for seven months for her role in a protest outside Wan Chai’s police headquarters in July 2019. At the time, the city was embroiled in massive protests and unrest sparked by a since-axed extradition bill.
She was granted temporary release for the separate collusion allegation but had her passport confiscated.
In the December announcement, she said she was allowed to leave Hong Kong for a masters programme in Canada with conditions, including that she penned a repentance letter and travelled to Shenzhen in China for a “patriotic” trip. However, police have declined to confirm the details of Chow’s bail conditions.
Self-exile
Chow has joined scores of pro-democracy activists living abroad in self-exile, including former lawmaker Nathan Law, currently based in the UK, who co-founded the now-disbanded opposition party Demosisto with Chow in 2016.
Police have so far issued arrest warrants for 13 overseas activists – including Law. Each are accused of endangering national security and have HK$1 million bounties on their heads. Law’s Hong Kong-based family members have also been reportedly questioned by police.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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