December 5, 2023
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Police Force strongly condemned Agnes Chow Ting, who is under national security investigation for her involvement in the social turbulence in 2019, on Monday after she said in a social media post that she had decided to jump bail and not report to the police in late December as scheduled, and would probably never return to Hong Kong.
Chow, who is studying for a master’s degree in Canada, is required to report to the Hong Kong police in December as part of a national security investigation.
On Sunday night, Chow announced via her Instagram account that she has decided not to return to Hong Kong and report to the police this month. She also said that she would probably never return to her hometown.
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In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the police’s National Security Department (NSD) said Chow’s claim of jumping bail challenges the rule of law. Police urged her to do the right thing before it was too late, warning that she will otherwise bear the stigma of being a fugitive for the rest of her life.
A spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Wenbin, also strongly condemned Chow’s irresponsible behavior in openly defying the rule of law.
Wang said that China is a country governed by the rule of law, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a society governed by the rule of law.
The rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents are fully protected by the law. Nobody has the privilege of being exempt from the law, and any illegal activity will be subject to punishment, Wang said.
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Chow was arrested by the NSD on Aug 10, 2020 for suspected collusion with external forces. She was subsequently sentenced to imprisonment for other offenses, serving a term from late 2020 to mid-2021. Following her release on bail, the NSD imposed restrictions on her departure from Hong Kong under Schedule 2 of Article 43 of the National Security Law for Hong Kong.
According to the police, Chow had reported to the police as required.
Earlier, she had expressed her intention to study abroad and submitted university admission documents as evidence to the authorities. As a result, the NSD returned her travel documents and extended her bail until this month. Chow landed in Canada in September.