Hong Kong High Court grants bail to father of wanted activist Anna Kwok pending his nat. sec trial
Hong Kong's High Court has granted bail to the father of wanted pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok, pending his national security trial for allegedly trying to handle her financial assets.
Kwok Yin-sang, 68, is the first person to be charged with 'attempting to deal with, directly or indirectly, any funds or other financial assets or economic resources belonging to, or owned or controlled by, a relevant absconder,' under Hong Kong's homegrown security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23.
He has been detained since his arrest on April 30, alongside his 35-year-old son, the brother of Anna Kwok, who was released on police bail without being formally charged.
Kwok Yin-sang was denied bail by a magistrate earlier this month on national security grounds, after which he took his application for temporary release to the High Court.
High Court Judge Alex Lee on Tuesday granted him bail on condition of HK$200,000 in cash and another HK$200,000 in surety from his son, according to local media reports.
The bail conditions also include surrendering travel documents, living at the reported residence, reporting to the police every day, not contacting prosecution witnesses, and not getting in touch with Anna Kwok during the bail period.
This is the first known successful bail application in a case charged under Article 23.
Kwok Yin-sang will next appear in court on June 13.
Kwok Yin-sang is accused of attempting to obtain funds earlier this year from an AIA International life and personal accident insurance policy, with Anna Kwok, based in the US, listed as the insured person.
The Hong Kong government barred anyone from dealing with Anna Kwok's assets in the city after Secretary for Security Chris Tang declared her an 'absconder,' along with six other exiled activists, in December.
The 28-year-old is among the first group of eight overseas Hong Kong activists wanted by the city's national security police. She is accused of colluding with foreign forces and having requested foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.
Currently, 19 Hong Kong activists abroad are wanted by the national security police, with each having a HK$1 million bounty leading to their arrest.
Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison.
The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
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