Hong Kong Police Arrest 2 Family Members of Wanted Democracy Activist Kwok Fung-Yee

Relatives of dissidents exiled overseas face intense surveillance from Hong Kong authorities.

The Hong Kong government promotes its National Security Law among the populace with massive banner in Hong Kong. Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times/File photo

Hong Kong authorities have arrested the father and a brother of U.S.-based pro-democracy activist Kwok Fung-yee, and laid charges against the father, marking the first time that the family of an exiled dissident has been criminally charged under the city’s sweeping national security laws.

Kwok Fung-yee (Anna Kwok), 28, resides in the United States and serves as the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC).

In July 2023, she was placed on a wanted list by Hong Kong’s National Security Department after urging foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials. In December 2023, she was further designated as an “absconder specified for national security offenses.”

The two family members were arrested on April 30 in Tseung Kwan O for the alleged violations of the National Security Ordinance and the Criminal Offences Ordinance.

On May 2, the 68-year-old Kwok Yin-sang, Kwok Fung-yee’s father, appeared in West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court and was charged with “attempting to directly or indirectly manage funds or assets belonging to an absconder.” His case was adjourned to June 13, and he remains in custody.

Multiple Hong Kong media outlets reported that sources with police ties said that Kwok Yin-sang had traveled overseas to meet with his daughter. Upon returning to Hong Kong, he allegedly assisted in managing her insurance policy matters, prompting his arrest.

Under the National Security Ordinance, handling an absconder’s funds or assets carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment upon conviction.

The defense counsel argued that the key legal question hinges on whether the assets in question truly belonged to the daughter or to father Kwok himself.

Kwok Fung-yee’s 35-year-old brother was granted bail pending further investigation on the same charge. He has not been formally charged.

The arrests signal an escalation in efforts to target overseas critics by extending pressure to their relatives at home, being the first time the family member of a wanted individual has faced formal charges in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong authorities have increasingly summoned relatives and associates of wanted individuals for questioning, signaling heightened enforcement actions on overseas activists.

In January 2025, national security police raided the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, previously affiliated with wanted scholar Chung Kim-wah. The institute’s chairman, Chung Ting-yiu, and two staff members were detained for investigation. In February, the aunt and uncle of former district councilor Carmen Lau Ka-man were brought to a police station for questioning. In March, the stepfather of Tony Chung, an activist exiled in the UK, was also taken for investigation.

Since the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, Hong Kong’s Ministry of National Security has issued wanted notices for at least 19 exiled residents.