"Place of fear": A Hong Kong activist looks back on years of repression
At the weekend, Chow announced that she would be staying in Canada indefinitely. The decision was made after considering the situation in Hong Kong, "my personal safety, my physical and mental health".
In doing so, Chow violated her bail conditions. The Hong Kong government announced that it would prosecute the fugitive activist "for life". Chief Executive John Lee said that the police had tried to "treat Chow with leniency".
But the 27-year-old firmly rejects this. "There has been no leniency in the past three years," she said in an AFP interview. "I was deprived of my freedom, my everyday life and my basic rights."
The activist referred to her classification as a "foreign agent". "Foreign agent of whom? For which country?" asked Chow. "It's obvious that the government is just using the National Security Law or the Hong Kong legal system as a political tool to slander and suppress political dissidents."
Chow, like many other fellow activists, was imprisoned in 2020 for her involvement in the pro-democracy mass protests in Hong Kong. In June 2021, she was released on the condition that she surrender her passport and report regularly to the police.
She got her passport back when she agreed to travel to mainland China in August under police escort. "I was told by the police not to tell anyone," Chow said in the video call with AFP. Numerous photos were taken of her during the trip.
She also had to write letters in which she expressed her remorse and thanked the police for showing her China's achievements during the trip to Shenzhen. The authorities then returned her passport and allowed her to fly to Canada - but on the condition that she return to Hong Kong from time to time as per her bail agreement.
But this was not an option for Chow. After her release, she was unable to find steady work because of her previous conviction. She just sat at home "and cried and waited", said the 27-year-old. An offer of postgraduate studies in Canada finally offered her a way out.
There were templates for the letters of repentance she had to write, which she simply copied out, Chow recalls. This is another reason why she has now broken her silence. "If I remain silent, these photos and letters may one day become evidence of my patriotism," says Chow. "And I just want to tell the world: this is not true. I was forced to do this."
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- Agnes Chow, a Hong Kong activist, expressed fear for her safety and health after years of political repression in Hong Kong, leading to her decision to remain in Canada indefinitely.
- The Hong Kong government announced its intent to prosecute Chow "for life" due to her violation of bail conditions by leaving for Canada.
- Chow, in an interview with AFP, rejected the notion of leniency, explaining that she had faced three years of deprivation of freedom and basic rights.
- Chow was labeled a "foreign agent" by the Hong Kong government, a classification she criticized as a political tool used to slander and suppress political dissidents.
- In 2020, Chow was imprisoned for her role in pro-democracy mass protests in Hong Kong, and later released on bail conditions requiring her to surrender her passport and report regularly to the police.
- Hilighting the repressive nature of these conditions, Chow shared that she was forced to write letters expressing remorse and gratitude to the police, and even travel to mainland China under police escort.
- Despite the return of her passport and permission to fly to Canada, Chow was required to return to Hong Kong periodically, a condition she was unable to meet due to job losses and social stigma following her conviction.
- Offered postgraduate studies in Canada, Chow seized the opportunity to escape the repressive environment in Hong Kong, seeking a fresh start away from the city of fear.
- Confronted with the requirement to write letters of repentance and the possibility of these documents being used as evidence of her patriotism, Chow chose to break her silence, asserting that she was compelled to comply under duress.
Source: www.stern.de
