The court sentenced Kwok to eight months in prison for attempting to withdraw funds from an insurance policy linked to his daughter, activist Anna Kwok. Prosecutors argued that this constituted providing unlawful financial support to an “absconder” under Article 23.

The judge deemed the offense “serious” and cited Kwok’s alleged lack of remorse when imposing the sentence. The ruling signals the court’s readiness to expansively interpret national security laws to criminalize indirect or disputed financial connections to activists based abroad.

HRF stands in firm solidarity with Anna Kwok and all those targeted through family reprisals. The use of national security legislation to punish the relatives of dissidents underscores the widening scope of repression in Hong Kong.