Rights teams condemn arrest of Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok’s father and brother

Human rights teams have condemned the arrest of family of Anna Kwok, an exiled pro-democracy activist who’s sought after by means of the Hong Kong police, within the first instance of town’s nationwide safety legislation getting used to focus on the members of the family of an activist residing in a foreign country.

Kwok, 28, is the manager director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, and is certainly one of 19 in a foreign country activists sought after by means of the nationwide safety police, who’re providing bounties of HK$1m (£97,000) for info resulting in arrest.

Kwok’s father, 68, and her brother, 35, had been arrested on 30 April on suspicion of “attempting to deal with directly or indirectly, any funds or other financial assets or economic resources belonging to, or owned or controlled by, a relevant absconder”. The police stated the boys had been suspected of serving to Kwok to switch the main points of a lifestyles insurance coverage and withdraw its final price. Kwok’s father used to be charged and detained whilst her brother used to be launched on bail pending additional investigations.

Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated: “The Chinese government has increased its appalling use of collective punishment against family members of peaceful activists from Hong Kong. The Hong Kong authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Anna Kwok’s father and cease harassing families of Hong Kong activists.”

ChinaSupport, a US-based human rights workforce, stated: “This represents a deeply unsettling and significant escalation of the ongoing retaliatory actions against the families of exiled activists … this is a blatant attempt to silence overseas dissidents by targeting their family members at home, a tactic that brazenly disregards fundamental human rights and the rule of law.”

Police in Hong Kong have time and again puzzled the family of exiled activists. In fresh months family of Tony Chung, Frances Hui and Carmen Lau, in a foreign country pro-democracy activists who’re additionally sought after by means of the Hong Kong police, had been puzzled. Chung and Lau, who’re in the United Kingdom, have each had threatening letters despatched to their neighbours providing rewards for info resulting in their seize.

The arrests in Kwok’s case mark the primary time that family had been criminally charged. Kwok’s father faces a sentence of as much as seven years in jail if convicted. He has been denied bail with the case adjourned to 13 June, consistent with Reuters.

The Hong Kong police and the Hong Kong Democracy Council didn’t in an instant reply to requests for remark. Kwok may just no longer be reached for remark.