Fund aims to raise HK$4 million for Joshua Wong and his fellow activists jailed in Hong Kong

Imprisoned Activists Support Fund hopes to provide HK$10,000 a month for 16 recently jailed activists

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Critics have slammed the jailing of Joshua Wong as political persecution as it was the government’s second successful attempt in a week to ask for stiffer sentences for protesters. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 7:02pm, 4 Sep 2017Updated: 10:50pm, 4 Sep 2017

A new independent fund is aiming to raise HK$4 million for the 16 recently jailed Hong Kong activists – including the poster boy for the city’s pro-democracy movement Joshua Wong Chi-fung – and the families they left behind.

The Imprisoned Activists Support Fund, which was set up on Monday, hopes to provide HK$10,000 a month to each jailed activist for them to support their families.

“These activists are fighting for ideals and justice, instead of their personal gain,” Civic Party barrister Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee said. Ng is one of the fund’s four trustees alongside Canto-pop singer, Denise Ho Wan-see, and academics, To Yiu-ming and Hui Po-keung.

“Society has the responsibility [to help] these activists,” Ng said.

From left, former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, Hui Po-keung and Margaret Ng promote the Imprisoned Activists Support Fund. Photo: Felix Wong

The fund will also be used to help settle the activists’ legal fees, cover any expenses accrued as well as help their families with the travelling costs of visiting them in prison.

Last month, the city’s Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of government’s bid to throw three pro-democracy student leaders – Wong, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang – behind bars for six to eight months for their leading role in the run-up to the 2014 Occupy movement. They were earlier given either suspended jailed terms or community service orders.