"HONG KONG The father of a U.S.-based activist wanted by Hong Kong authorities was convicted of attempting to deal with an absconder's financial assets on Wednesday, in the first court case of its kind brought under a homegrown national security law. Kwok Yin-sang's daughter Anna is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council. Authorities in 2023 offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $127,900) for information leading to her arrest."
"Kwok, 69, was arrested in April 2025 under the security law, locally known as Article 23 legislation, enacted a year before. He was accused of having attempted to obtain funds from an insurance policy under his daughter's name. He pleaded not guilty. Acting principal magistrate Cheng Lim-chi found him guilty on Wednesday, saying Kwok must have known his daughter was an absconder and he was attempting to handle her assets."
"Kwok's lawyer, Steven Kwan, pleaded for a lesser sentence for his client, saying there was no evidence to show his client was trying to get the money to send to his daughter. He suggested the judge consider a 14-day prison term. While the maximum sentence for his charge is seven years of imprisonment, but his case was heard at the magistrates' courts, which normally hands down a maximum sentence of two years. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 26."
A 69-year-old Hong Kong man, Kwok Yin-sang, was convicted for attempting to obtain funds from an insurance policy held in his wanted daughter's name. The daughter, Anna, is a U.S.-based activist and executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council who has a 2023 HK$1 million reward for information leading to her arrest and a ban on anyone handling her funds. Kwok was arrested in April 2025 under Article 23 national security legislation. He pleaded not guilty, but the magistrate found he must have known his daughter was an absconder and was attempting to handle her assets. Sentencing is set for Feb. 26.
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