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Hong Kong Convicts Activist Anna Kwok’s Father Under Article 23 for Trying to Cash Out Her Insurance

The verdict spotlights Hong Kong’s use of Article 23 to police the finances of overseas “absconders,” intensifying concerns about pressure on activists’ families.

Overview

  • West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Feb. 11 found Kwok Yin‑sang guilty of attempting to handle funds belonging to his daughter, U.S.-based activist Anna Kwok, in the first case of its kind under Hong Kong’s homegrown Article 23 law.
  • Prosecutors said he sought to withdraw about HK$88,609 by terminating an AIA insurance policy he bought for her as a child; the judge ruled that dealing with a fugitive’s assets is illegal.
  • Sentencing is set for Feb. 26, with reports noting a statutory maximum of seven years for the offense but a two‑year cap at the magistrates’ court level; multiple outlets said he was remanded pending sentencing.
  • Authorities previously designated Anna Kwok an “absconder,” offered a HK$1 million bounty, and canceled her Hong Kong passport, moves that bar anyone from handling her assets in the city.
  • Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the conviction as a disturbing escalation and collective punishment, while the defense argued the case involved low culpability and funds originally paid by the father; her brother was also arrested and is on bail.