>The [Hong Kong](https://www.hrw.org/tag/hong-kong) police arrested the father of a prominent US-based activist, Anna Kwok, on April 30, 2025, and charged him with a national security crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrest of Kwok Yin-sang was the first such prosecution of a family member of an exiled activist. Hong Kong authorities should immediately drop all charges and release him.
>The Hong Kong authorities have recently intensified their harassment of the families of 19 wanted Hong Kong activists living in exile. Punishments and harassment against individuals for the alleged actions of another person is a form of collective punishment, prohibited by international human rights law.
>“The Chinese government has increased its appalling use of collective punishment against family members of peaceful activists from Hong Kong,” said [Yalkun Uluyol](https://www.hrw.org/about/people/yalkun-uluyol), China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Hong Kong authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Anna Kwok’s father and cease harassing families of Hong Kong activists.”
>There has been a new wave of harassment against these families in recent months, Human Rights Watch said. After the Hong Kong police issued the third group of arrests and bounties against [six exiled activists](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-offers-bounties-six-more-democrats-security-squeeze-2024-12-24/) in December 2024, they began to harass their families. In January, police interrogated eight family members and former colleagues of the UK-based scholar [Chung Kim-wah](https://photonmedia.net/chingkimwah0122/), and raided the office of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, with which Chung was formerly associated.
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>The [Hong Kong](https://www.hrw.org/tag/hong-kong) police arrested the father of a prominent US-based activist, Anna Kwok, on April 30, 2025, and charged him with a national security crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrest of Kwok Yin-sang was the first such prosecution of a family member of an exiled activist. Hong Kong authorities should immediately drop all charges and release him.
>The Hong Kong authorities have recently intensified their harassment of the families of 19 wanted Hong Kong activists living in exile. Punishments and harassment against individuals for the alleged actions of another person is a form of collective punishment, prohibited by international human rights law.
>“The Chinese government has increased its appalling use of collective punishment against family members of peaceful activists from Hong Kong,” said [Yalkun Uluyol](https://www.hrw.org/about/people/yalkun-uluyol), China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Hong Kong authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Anna Kwok’s father and cease harassing families of Hong Kong activists.”
>On May 2, national security police [formally charged](https://thewitnesshk.com/23%e6%a2%9d-%e9%83%ad%e9%b3%b3%e5%84%80%e7%88%b6%e8%a6%aa%e8%a2%ab%e6%8c%87%e5%8a%a9%e8%99%95%e7%90%86%e4%bf%9d%e5%96%ae-%e8%a2%ab%e6%8e%a7%e4%bc%81%e5%9c%96%e8%99%95%e7%90%86%e6%bd%9b%e9%80%83/) Kwok Yin-sang, 68, with “directly or indirectly” dealing with the finances of an “absconder” under section 90 of the [Safeguarding National Security Ordinance](https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/19/hong-kong-new-security-law-full-scale-assault-rights), which carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison. Kwok Yin-sang remains in custody with a bail hearing scheduled for May 8. Anna Kwok’s brother was also arrested on April 30 but has been released on bail pending further investigation.
>[…]
>Hong Kong authorities have sought to [intimidate](https://briankernkongtsunggan.substack.com/p/timeline-of-arrest-warrants-and-bounties?r=mngv) dozens of family members of the 19 “wanted” individuals, primarily by interrogating them. In the case of Ted Hui, a resident of Australia, they also [confiscated](https://briankernkongtsunggan.substack.com/p/timeline-of-arrest-warrants-and-bounties?r=mngv) HK$800,000 (US$103,000) from him and his family for having allegedly violated the National Security Law.
>There has been a new wave of harassment against these families in recent months, Human Rights Watch said. After the Hong Kong police issued the third group of arrests and bounties against [six exiled activists](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-offers-bounties-six-more-democrats-security-squeeze-2024-12-24/) in December 2024, they began to harass their families. In January, police interrogated eight family members and former colleagues of the UK-based scholar [Chung Kim-wah](https://photonmedia.net/chingkimwah0122/), and raided the office of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, with which Chung was formerly associated.
>In February the police questioned the aunts and an uncle of [Carmen Lau](https://www.rfa.org/english/china/2025/02/10/china-hong-kong-activist-family-questioned/), a UK-based activist and former district councilor. On March 18, police interrogated the stepfather of the activist [Tony Chung](https://hongkongfp.com/2025/03/18/fugitive-activist-tony-chungs-stepfather-questioned-by-hong-kong-nat-sec-police-reports/), who is in the UK.
>On April 10, national security police took the parents of the US-based activist [Frances Hui](https://thecfhk.org/cfhk-foundation-condemns-outrageous-targeting-of-staffer-frances-huis-parents-by-hong-kong-police/) into custody for questioning.
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