International Women’s Day Salute to HK Female Political Prisoners

WRIC  (data source CFHKF)                                                   03-08-2022

 

On International Women’s Day, all WRIC members salute the brave female political prisoners of Hong Kong. We know this is the most difficult time in your life. Remember, you are not alone. Your families and we stand firmly with you.

 

1,

Jessica Chu Wai-ying

朱慧盈

Date of Birth: 2003

Gender: Female

Tags: Student; Female

BIO

Chu along with a few like-minded students founded Student Politicism on May. 26, 2020 [1], just days after the Chinese Government announced the National Security Law. The group name in Chinese means “venerate studying to enlighten mind; defend citizens to ponder politics.” As the NSL silences the city’s civic society, Student Politicism became one of the few remaining local pro-democracy organizations that continued to run street booths. The core members were repeatedly arrested on suspicion of illegal assembly or sedition, and were warned of possibly breaching the NSL by the police.

On Sept. 20, 2021, Chu and two other core members were arrested under the National Security Law. The police alleged them to have incited hatred against Hong Kong’s government by urging people not to use the LeaveHomeSafe Covid tracking app and calling to prepare for another “revolution” through martial arts training. Four were taken to court later, charged for inciting subversion, and all denied bail. On Oct. 15, 2021, Chu was granted bail while the other three core members had their bail applications again rejected.

On Oct. 23, 2022, Chu was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Charges / Convicted Crimes

Conspiracy to incite subversion under the NSL for holding street booths: — Oct. 22, 2022: Sentenced for 30-month in prison.

 

 

2,

Alice Wong Yuen Lam

黃沅琳

Date of Birth: 2002

Gender: Female

Tags: Student; Female

BIO

Wong along with a few like-minded students founded Student Politicism on May. 26, 2020, just days after the Chinese Government announced the National Security Law. The group name in Chinese means “venerate studying to enlighten mind; defend citizens to ponder politics.” As the NSL silences the city’s civic society, Student Politicism became one of the few remaining local pro-democracy organizations that continued to run street booths. She and other members were repeatedly arrested on suspicion of illegal assembly or sedition, and were warned of possibly breaching the NSL by the police.

On Sept. 21, 2021, Wong reportedly turned herself to the police to be arrested after three other core members were arrested under the National Security Law the day before. The police alleged them to have incited hatred against Hong Kong’s government by urging people not to use the LeaveHomeSafe Covid tracking app and calling to prepare for another “revolution” through martial arts training. Four were taken to court later, charged with inciting subversion, and all were denied bail.

On Oct. 23, 2022, Wong was sentenced Sentenced for three years at the vocational development training center.

Charges / Convicted Crimes

Conspiracy to incite subversion under the NSL for holding street booths: — Oct. 22, 2021: Sentenced for three years at the vocational development training center.

BEHIND BAR SINCE

Sep. 22, 2021

 

 

3,

Chow Hang-tung   

鄒幸彤

Date of Birth: Jan 24, 1985

Gender: Female

Tags: June 4th Activists; Female;

BIO

Chow served as vice chairwoman of Hong Kong

Alliance, an alliance that organized annual marches and vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. On June 4, 2021, Chow was arrested for promoting an unauthorized assembly on the 32nd anniversary of the protests. She was released on bail one day later but was later arrested again on June 30. After being denied bail many times, Chow was eventually granted, under the condition that she paid bail in cash, she handed over all travel documents, and she would not hold a BNO passport. On 13 December, she was sentenced to 12 months in prison over the banned 2020 vigil. On 4 January 2022, she was jailed for another 15 months over the banned 2021 vigil; the judge ordered 10 months of the sentence to be served consecutively with the December sentence, meaning that Chow was to spend a total of 22 months in jail.

On 14 December 2022, Chow won an appeal against her 15-month sentence over the banned 2021 vigil. The presiding judge said in a written statement that police “did not raise measures or conditions to be considered” in order to let the vigil take place during the pandemic.

Although one of the charges was dropped, she remains in prison for her other two charges. [2]

Charges / Convicted Crimes

Organizing unlawful assembly on June 4, 2020 (Tiananmen Massacre Vigil) — 15-month sentence.

Inciting and taking part in the 2020 vigil —12-month sentence.

More ongoing charges relating to her role at Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China

BEHIND BAR SINCE

June 30, 2021

BEHIND BAR SINCE

Sep. 20, 2021

 

 

4,

Carol Ng                                           

吳敏兒

Date of Birth: Oct 24, 1970

Gender: Female

Tags: NSL 47; Female; Government; Unionist

BIO

Carol Ng is the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and the British Airways Hong Kong Cabin Crew Union. In 2007, she sued the airline for a discriminatory retirement policy in a UK Employment Tribunal with the assistance of Unite the Union. After six years of litigation, British Airways finally yielded before the final appeal and extended the retirement age of Hong Kong aircrew to 65. On 5 August 2019, she helped organize a general strike, with an estimated 350,000 people taking part. 95 of HKCTU’s affiliates launched strikes with industries such as the airline industry, buses, retail, catering, financial services and civil servants in the transport sector. [1]

Ng, representing the Labour Party in Hong Kong, stood in the unofficial primary election in July 2020. She ran on the platform of striving for better protection of labor rights and strengthening the role of workers in the fight for the city’s democracy through union organizing. [2] She was arrested on 6 January 2021 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit subversion over her participation in the primaries and has been detained since 28 February 2021. The High Court declined her appeal for bail on 20 December 2021, citing her international influence because of her trade union work. [3]

Charges / Convicted Crimes

Conspiracy to commit subversion under National Security Law for participating in the democratic primaries

6 January 2021: Arrestd with 52 other pro-democracy activists

28 Feb, 2021: Officially charged with 46 activists among the 53 arrested in January

20 Dec, 2021: Court denied her bail applications for three times, citing her international influence due to her labor union work

Pled guilty; Trial ongoing

BEHIND BAR SINCE

Feb. 28, 2021

 

 

5,

Wong Ji-Yuet       

黃子悅

Date of Birth: Sep 27, 1997

Gender: Female

Tags: NSL 47; Female;

BIO

In 2014, Wong Ji-Yuet participated in the Umbrella movement. Around the same time, she was a volunteer for the student activist group, Scholarism. As a volunteer, she joined a secondary school boycott rally, broke into Civic Square, and spent her first night on the streets. She slept on the streets in the occupation zones at night and went to school during the day, maintaining this routine for more than a month. She, along with fellow activists, organized a hunger strike to initiate a negotiation with the government on Hong Kong’s electoral reform. Wong ended the hunger strike after 118 hours based on medical intervention. She was taken to the hospital

Wong ran for the 2020 legislative election in the unofficial pro-democracy primaries. She came in third place.

On January 6, 2021, Wong was one of the pro-democratic camp 53 members who were arrested under the national security law (specifically subversion). Wong was released on bail on January 7, 2021.

On 28 February 2021, Wong was charged, along with 46 others, for subversion. She was detained in prison until 20 December, when she was released on bail. According to a written judgment that was released by the judiciary on 3 May 2022, Toh granted bail to enable Wong to finish her bachelor degree, and due to her belief that she had not explicitly advocated for international sanctions against the authorities, and for Hong Kong independence, during the primaries.

Charges / Convicted Crimes

On 28 February 2021, Wong was charged, along with 46 others, for subversion.

BEHIND BAR SINCE

Feb. 28, 2021

 

 

6,

Winnie Yu             

余慧明

Date of Birth: May 28, 1987

Gender: Female

Tags: NSL 47; Female; Unionist

BIO

Winnie Yu is a Hong Kong nurse and activist. She is the founder and chairwoman of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA), a labor union representing Hospital Authority staff. She played an instrumental role in the labor strike in February 2020 to demand full border closure in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong.

In the 2019 anti-extradition protests, Yu became active in social activism, volunteering as a paramedic. The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA) was founded in the call for forming labor unions to launch a city-wide strike to pressure the government,[3] in which Yu became the chairwoman. HAEA fought for stronger border control during the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, demanding that the government prevent all non-Hong Kong residents from entering the city via the mainland. Yu then helped to organize a strike of more than 2,500 people to protest for stronger closures.

Yu participated in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries, winning against the incumbent. In January 2021, Yu was among 53 members of the pro-democratic camp who were arrested under the national security law, specifically its provision regarding alleged subversion. Yu was released on bail on 7 January.

On 28 February, Yu was formally charged, along with 46 others, for subversion. After she was charged, she was suspended from her duties by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. On 28 July, she was released on bail, after her bail application being granted by a High Court judge.

According to a written judgment that was released by the judiciary on 14 September, the judge granted her bail, observing in her written explanation that there was no evidence that Yu ever had an international connection. On 8 March 2022, one day after Yu being arrested again, her bail was revoked by a magistrate; as the application of defense for lifting of reporting restrictions was turned down, the nature of the violation of bail conditions was not immediately clear.

Charges / Convicted Crimes

On 28 February, Yu was formally charged under the national security law for subversion

 

 

7,

Gwyneth Ho

何桂藍

Date of Birth: Aug 24, 1990

Gender: Female

Tags: NSL 47; Female; Journalist; June 4th Activists

BIO

Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam is a Hong Kong political activist and former reporter of the now-defunct news outlet Stand News, who rose to prominence for her frontline reporting in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, during which she was attacked by triad gangsters who indiscriminately assaulted civilians at the Yuen Long metro station. In June 2020, she announced her candidature in the unofficial pro-democracy primaries.

She was arrested on Jan. 6, 2021, along with over 50 other pro-democrats on suspicion of conspiracy to commit subversion over her participation in the primaries and has been in custody since Feb. 28, 2021. In December 2021, she received a sentence of six months in relation to her role in a banned protest during the 31st anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in June 2020. Ho is among the 17 people who pled not guilty over their national security charges for organizing and participating in the pro-democracy primaries.

Charges / Convicted Crimes

  • Participating in unauthorized assembly on June 4, 2020 (Tiananmen Massacre Vigil) (Sentenced to six months imprisonment)
  • Conspiracy to commit subversion under National Security Law for participating in the democratic primaries (Pled not guilty; Trial ongoing)

BEHIND BAR SINCE

Feb. 28, 2021

 

 

8,

Helena Wong                               

黃碧雲

Date of Birth: March 21, 1959

Gender: Female

Tags: NSL 47; Female; Legislator; Council Member; Scholar; Christian

BIO

Helena Wong joined the Hong Kong Democratic Foundation in 1989 and co-founded the first major pro-democracy party, the United Democrats of Hong Kong which became the Democratic Party in 1994. Wong was arrested on Nov. 1,  2020 (with six others), in connection with the melee that had broken out in the LegCo on May 8, 2020.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Wong was among 53 members of the pro-democratic camp who were arrested under the NSL, specifically under alleged subversion. The group stood accused of the organization of and participating in unofficial primary elections held by the camp in July 2020. Wong was released on bail on March 11, 2021.

Wong is among 17 of the 47 defendants to have pleaded not guilty.

 

 

9,

Claudia Mo                         

毛孟靜

Date of Birth: Jan 18, 1957

Gender: Female

Tags: NSL 47; Female; Journalist; Legislator

BIO

Claudia Mo is a Hong Kong journalist and politician, and a former member of the pan-democracy camp. She represented the Kowloon West geographical constituency, until November 2020 when she resigned along with other pro-democrats to protest against the disqualification of four of her colleagues by the government。

Claudia Mo is one of 55 activists who were arrested in January 2021 under Hong Kong’s new National Security Law. On 28 February, she, together with 46 other defendants, were charged with the offense of conspiracy to commit subversion.

Prior to her political involvements, Mo worked at Agence France-Presse (AFP) translating French wires into Chinese. Later in her role as the chief Hong Kong correspondent for AFP, she covered the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. She has also held positions at The Standard, TVB, and hosted a number of RTHK TV radio programs.

Mo wrote a book called We Want True Democracy, published in 2015, and has also authored English language learning books.

Conspiracy to commit subversion under National Security Law for participating in the democratic primaries.