San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Activist released as China tightens hold on territory
HONG KONG — Hong Kong prodemocracy activist Agnes Chow was released from jail Saturday after serving more than six months for taking part in unauthorized assemblies during 2019 antigovernment protests that triggered a crackdown on dissent in the former British colony.
Chow, 24, was greeted by a crowd of journalists as she left the Tai Lam Center for Women. She transferred from a prison van to a private car without making any remarks.
Only a few supporters were on the scene, an apparent reflection of the government’s threats to jail those it deems in violation of a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the territory a year ago.
The legislation has resulted in the arrests of leading democracy activists including Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai, who are serving prison terms. Others have sought asylum abroad. Critics say China is now routinely violating commitments it made to preserve freedoms promised to Hong Kong for 50 years following the handover to Chinese rule in 1997. Chow came to prominence while still a student during the 2014 “umbrella movement” calling for universal suffrage, alongside Wong and Nathan Law, who was granted political asylum in Britain in April.
She has a large following in Japan, frequently visiting the country and posting on Twitter in her fluent Japanese.
The 2019 protests began as peaceful marches against proposed legislation that could have seen criminal suspects sent to China to face possible mistreatment and unfair trials. Though the legislation was withdrawn, protests swelled to demand universal suffrage and an investigation into police abuses, becoming increasingly violent as demonstrators responded to harsh police tactics.
China fought back with the national security law, which has snuffed out dissent in the semiautonomous territory. Defenders say it intends to ensure those running the city are Chinese patriots committed to public order and economic development.
China also overhauled Hong Kong’s Legislative Council to give proBeijing delegates an overwhelming majority. Hong Kong’s media outlets are now almost completely dominated by proBeijing business groups and even independent booksellers have become rare. The national security law has also given authorities broad powers to monitor speech online, making it difficult to organize opposition gatherings or even express views critical of the government or Beijing.
Communist Party leaders in Beijing have long regarded Hong Kong as a potential incubator of opposition that could spread through the country.