Nathan Law, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent young activists for democratic reform, announced that the UK has accepted his asylum application. “After several interviews over the course of four months, the Ministry of Interior informed me that my asylum application has been approved,” the 27-year-old militant declared on Twitter.
“The fact that I am required under the National Security Act shows that I am at risk of serious political persecution and that it is unlikely that I will be able to return to Hong Kong in safety,” he added.
Lu Hu is one of the young leaders of the pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong, which was dissolved in July after the Chinese parliament passed controversial national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong to suppress subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers.
This party was founded by students as a result of the so-called “Umbrella Movement” in 2014 against Beijing’s increasing control of the former British colony.
Luo announced in July that he had fled Hong Kong and had been in London. In an interview with the Guardian in mid-December, he said that he applied for political asylum in the hope that his presence in Europe “serves as a wake-up call to remind us how dangerous the Chinese Communist Party is to our democratic values.”
Although he was not an activist for the independence of the territory, Luo and other prominent members of his formation, such as former student leader Joshua Wong, were often portrayed by Chinese authorities as separatists plotting with foreigners against Beijing.
Now calm about his future, Luo nonetheless expressed concern about the fate of his fellow citizens who live “in anguish and anxiety,” realizing that his “status cannot be applied to all Hong Kong residents seeking asylum.”
He said, “Some may not have sufficient evidence to support their request due to lack of information in the media or because they fled before the persecution,” calling on the British Home Office to “take into account the complex situation” of its former colony. … (afp)
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