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       Hong Kong Activist Flees to Britain, Citing Police Pressure

       The activist, Tony Chung, was imprisoned after advocating for the territory’s independence. Even after his release, he said, his situation remained oppressive.

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       Tony Chung in Hong Kong in August 2020. Credit...Isaac Lawrence/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

       By Chris Buckley

       Dec. 29, 2023, 3:12 a.m. ET

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       A political activist in Hong Kong previously imprisoned under its sweeping national security law said he had fled to Britain and would apply for asylum there, becoming the second high-profile dissident this month to announce going into exile from the territory.

       The activist, Tony Chung, revealed on Thursday that he had arrived in Britain, and, in several social media posts, said that he had decided to leave Hong Kong after enduring oppressive restrictions, pressure to act as informant and severe stress after his release from prison in June.

       Mr. Chung, 22, was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison in 2021 after becoming an outspoken proponent of independence for Hong Kong — an idea that is anathema to Communist Party leaders in China, which rules the territory. He was released early, but police officers continued to monitor him closely, he wrote in his account on Instagram. He won their approval to take a brief vacation in Okinawa, Japan, and while there bought a ticket to Britain, he wrote.

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       Chris Buckley, the chief China correspondent for The Times, reports on China and Taiwan from Taipei, focused on politics, social change and security and military issues. More about Chris Buckley

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