Agnes Chow, a former activist in Hong Kong, announced on Sunday that she has relocated to Canada and will not be returning to fulfill her bail requirements following her imprisonment for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations.
Chow gained recognition as a prominent figure in the 2012, 2014, and 2019 demonstrations against China’s growing authoritarian control in Hong Kong. Alongside fellow activist Joshua Wong, she co-founded Demosisto, a pro-democracy organization.
She served approximately seven months in prison for participating in a demonstration outside the police headquarters of the city in 2019. The protests, which drew large crowds week after week, posed the most significant challenge to China’s authority since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.
On Sunday, which also happened to be Chow’s 27th birthday, she shared two new posts after maintaining silence for over two and a half years since her release.
She expressed her desire to not be compelled to do anything and to also not be required to travel to mainland China anymore.
She stated that her choice was influenced by “taking into account the circumstances in Hong Kong, my own safety, and my physical and mental well-being.”
She stated that the stressors caused her to be diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Chow mentioned that various mental disorders have caused instability in both their body and mind.
She stated that she departed for Toronto in mid-September to pursue her university studies and would not be back in Hong Kong in December to fulfill her bail requirement of reporting to the police.
In 2020, Chow was among nine individuals taken into custody with pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai on allegations of “conspiring with foreign forces to threaten national security.”
Chow was granted police bail with stipulations that she surrender her passport and regularly report to law enforcement.
In the beginning of July, the Hong Kong police proposed giving back her passport but only if Chow agreed to accompany them on a trip to the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
She consented and in the middle of August, she spent a day with five law enforcement officers. During this time, she was given a tour of an exhibit showcasing China’s accomplishments and visited the headquarters of tech company Tencent. There, she was asked to take photos.
Chow wrote that they had a sense of being observed throughout the entire journey.
A law imposed by Beijing to ensure national security has made dissent a criminal offense, resulting in the arrest, imprisonment, or exile of many of the city’s democracy advocates.
Wong was imprisoned in Hong Kong for a case involving “subversion,” while Nathan Law, another activist, has left the country with a reward of HK$1 million for his capture.
AFP has requested a response from the Hong Kong police regarding the matter.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
Source: theguardian.com
