My Take | Clarity needed on the questions raised by activist’s bail decision
- Agnes Chow Ting’s revelation that she will not return to Hong Kong included claims she faced measures that are more akin to mainland China
Prominent activist Agnes Chow Ting’s decision to jump bail while being investigated under Hong Kong’s national security law has sparked fury in the corridors of power.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu branded her a disgrace, a liar and a hypocrite. A government statement said her behaviour was “deceitful and shameful”.
Chow was allowed by police to study for a master’s degree in Canada while on bail, with a condition she return this month. But the activist has revealed on Instagram she has no intention of coming back.
The bail system only works if suspects repay the trust placed in them. There is now a concern the police will be less sympathetic to others, a case of once bitten, twice shy.
But Chow’s case raises broader questions. She was arrested on suspicion of breaching the national security law by colluding with “foreign elements” in August 2020.
The activist was jailed in December that year for her conduct during civil unrest in 2019, but released in June 2021. She has, therefore, been on police bail for an extraordinarily long time.