Nathan Law, former leader of the now-disbanded pro-democracy group Demosisto, has announced that he has dropped out of the 2020 Legislative Council election primaries.
The activist said last week that he fled Hong Kong out of fears of arrest and prosecution under the Beijing-enforced national security law. He said on Facebook on Wednesday that he was “destined” to be unable to return to the city’s legislature, where he was once a lawmaker.
Law urged citizens to vote in the pro-democracy camp primaries that will take place this weekend ahead of the September race. The primaries are intended to prevent vote-splitting among democrats.
He called on his supporters on the Hong Kong Island – the geographical constituency he was set to compete in – to give their votes to former Demosisto member and Southern District Councillor Tiffany Yuen.
“Saying goodbye to my home was an extremely painful decision…The Legislative Council still needs people to fight till the end. In the Hong Kong Island constituency, I hope to pass such a mission to Tiffany Yuen, and sincerely ask everyone to trust her,” Law wrote.
