Family of wanted Hong Kong fugitive Andy Li finally make contact with him, 11 days after his return from mainland China
- Sister reveals activist, who officials said was quarantined after being sent back, has been in communication
- Li faces several charges under national security law, including colluding with foreign forces
The family of Andy Li Yu-hin have finally been able to contact him, 11 days after the wanted fugitive was sent back to Hong Kong from mainland China.
Li’s sister wrote on social media on Friday that they had been in touch with the 30-year-old, who was one of the 12 activists arrested by the Chinese coastguard as they tried to flee to Taiwan last year.
“After coming back to Hong Kong and disappearing again, we’re finally receiving communication from Andy … more to follow as we digest the information,” his sister wrote.
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The wanted fugitive’s family had been unable to reach him since he returned to the city on March 22. It was only after 11 days that his sister – who runs the “Andy is missing” social media page – revealed the family had finally been able to communicate with him.
Apart from the mystery surrounding Li’s location, the appearance of barrister Lawrence Law Tat-hung in court as Li’s representing lawyer has also raised eyebrows over the past few days.
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Li’s family said they had not appointed Law, while the Duty Lawyer Service said it had not provided the barrister as Li had never sought its service.
But in a statement issued by Law’s legal firm, Olympia Chambers, on Thursday, it said Law “was instructed through a private firm of solicitors to appear in [court]”.
“We stress that, [Law] has no duty to inform the press about the details of his instructions, or to the family members of Li,” the statement said. “It is most regrettable that certain press had formed a view incorrectly that this is a case of ‘government-appointing-private solicitors counsel to appear for Li’, only upon queries or speculation.”
Li was among eight of those arrested in mainland waters last summer who were returned to the city on March 22 by Shenzhen authorities, after they had completed a seven-month jail sentence for illegally crossing the border.
While being detained in Shenzhen’s Yantian district, mainland lawyers appointed by some of the 12 people’s families were denied entry into the detention centre. The families were later told all 12 had picked the lawyers from a list provided by officials across the border.
Olympia Chambers added that Li’s family members could contact the instructing solicitors for further details of his condition.
“In any event, Li’s case is going to be heard again next week. Justice will be done and could be seen to be done transparently by then,” the statement added. “We also take this opportunity to express our concern to Li’s family members and hope their anxieties could be relieved sooner.”
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On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she would not be drawn on the case, while adding it was up to people in custody to decide whether they wanted to see family members or not.
Mainland authorities returned two underage suspects to Hong Kong in December, while the remaining two, who were convicted of organising the escape, are serving sentences of between two and three years on the mainland.
