National security law: Baggio Leung says threats to personal safety in Hong Kong forced him into political asylum in US

Former lawmaker doubles down on call for US to extend sanctions on Hong Kong’s financial system instead of just individual officials

Leung was disqualified over improper oath-taking in 2016, and jailed in September for storming Legco chamber

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Baggio Leung is currently in the US. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:23pm, 12 Dec 2020Updated: 11:14pm, 12 Dec 2020

Former Hong Kong lawmaker Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang has said he is seeking political asylum in the United States because of threats to personal safety after “being tailed by unknown agents” for months.

Now in Washington, Leung, who is the latest opposition figure from the city to go into exile, vowed to sustain last year’s anti-government movement by lobbying the Biden administration to extend sanctions to the city’s financial system, beyond current measures targeting officials linked to the Beijing-imposed national security law.

At an online press conference on Saturday morning, Leung claimed surveillance conducted by “unknown agents” since he was released from jail in late September caused him to avoid going home and later prompted him to flee.

“I was followed by more than 10 plain-clothes officers since the first day when I was released from jail. Occasionally, they tailed me all the way to my home … I had a feeling that those unknown agents were from law enforcement,” Leung said from the US.

He was jailed in September for storming the Legislative Council chamber four years ago.

Leung at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre in September. Photo: Winson Wong

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