Hong Kong Activist Agnes Chow Relocates to Canada and Declares Intention to Evade Bail
Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist, Agnes Chow, discloses she has relocated to Canada and refuses to return due to ongoing police investigations into alleged national security breaches
A prominent figure in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Agnes Chow, revealed on Sunday that she is currently living in Canada and has no plans to return to Hong Kong to meet bail conditions while police investigate allegations against her for endangering national security. On her 27th birthday, Chow broke her two-year public silence in a social media post, disclosing that she departed Hong Kong for Canada in September to pursue studies and will not comply with the requirement to report to the police in Hong Kong later this month.
"I don't think I'll ever come back," she wrote in a post on Instagram. Chow, who was jailed for 10 months in 2020 for her involvement in Hong Kong's mass anti-government protests, was granted bail by police in 2021 after being suspected of "colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security."
Her passport was taken away, and she was told to check in with the police regularly. Since then, she has been laying low. In a recent Instagram post, Chow explained that she made the decision to leave Hong Kong after carefully considering her safety and well-being, and the ongoing pressure she faced from authorities.
Her passport was only returned to her after she agreed to travel to mainland China in August on a trip organized by the police to learn about the country's development. Chow mentioned that she got permission from Hong Kong authorities to pursue her master's degree in Canada, with the condition that she had to report to the police in Hong Kong during school breaks.
The Hong Kong police issued a statement on Monday, denouncing Chow's decision to skip bail as "irresponsible conduct that openly defies the rule of law." The statement went on to urge the individual in question to reconsider their actions and avoid becoming a fugitive for life.
Escorted mainland China trip
Chow, along with fellow activists Joshua Wong and Nathan Law, co-founded the pro-democracy Hong Kong political party Demosisto in 2016 while they were still students. However, Demosisto was disbanded on June 30, 2020, coinciding with the day when Beijing imposed a far-reaching national security law on the semi-autonomous city.
Chow was one of the initial pro-democracy leaders to be arrested under the law in Hong Kong. Wong is currently incarcerated, while Law is living in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom.
Opponents argue that the law has eliminated government opposition and restricted political freedoms in the formerly outspoken city. The Hong Kong government has consistently refuted claims that the legislation is stifling freedoms and has maintained that the law has brought "stability" back to the city after the 2019 protests.
Joshua Wong (C) and other pro-democracy activists campaign during an unofficial primary election in Hong Kong on July 12, 2020.
ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
Hong Kongs pro-democracy leaders give final defense as landmark national security trial nears an end
Chow revealed in an Instagram post that she was accepted to a Toronto university earlier in the year. However, in order to retrieve her passport from the police, she was compelled to accompany authorities to Shenzhen, a city in mainland China near Hong Kong, for travel in August. She detailed being escorted by five national security officers to an exhibition showcasing China's advancements since the late 1970s, as well as the headquarters of technology company Tencent, where she was expected to take photos, as outlined in her post.
Throughout the trip, she felt a constant sense of being watched, with police officers and staff whispering behind her back and requesting her to pose for photos. Additionally, she was obligated to write a letter of appreciation to thank the police for organizing the trip and giving her the opportunity to "understand the great development of the motherland."
"I have never denied China's economic development, but a powerful country sending democracy advocates to prison, restricting their freedom, and using patriotic exhibitions as leverage to return passports - isn't this a display of vulnerability?" she wrote.
The Hong Kong police confirmed they had returned her passport and extended her bail, but did not address Chows account of the trip to Shenzhen.
Living in fear
Chow also recounted the mental toll that strict bail conditions had taken on her over more than two years.
Every three months, Chow was required to sign a notice extending the confiscation of her passport. Additionally, she was instructed to regularly report to the police about her finances, job, family, and personal relationships, as she shared on Instagram.
"It felt as though someone was purposefully reminding me: you have not regained your freedom, you are still under surveillance, do not attempt to take any action," she expressed.
Chow expressed that each time she went to the police, she was scared of being arrested again. She revealed that she had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and noted that her mental and physical health declined this year, leading her to apply for graduate school in Canada.
Chow stated that she was granted permission to leave after providing the national security police with details of her program and writing a requested "letter of repentance." In the letter, she expressed regret for her past political activities and pledged to never participate in politics or meet her fellow activists again.
She wrote, "In the past few years, I have firsthand experienced the preciousness of freedom from fear. Freedom is something to be cherished. In my daily life of fear, I am grateful for all the people who have not forgotten me, who care about me, and love me even more. I hope we can reunite in the near future and give each other a warm embrace."
