Hong Kong 47 defendant Ng Kin-wai released
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Former Yuen Long district councillor Ng Kin-wai was released on Friday after serving five years and seven months in prison for conspiracy to subvert state power in the landmark Hong Kong 47 case. Local media reported that he left Shek Pik Prison on Lantau Island in the early hours, with several curtained vehicles seen departing the facility. Later appearing in Yuen Long, the 31-year-old had breakfast with a former District Council colleague and told reporters he did not regret his pro-democracy advocacy. He said the city’s political reality had changed, but added that facing reality did not mean accepting it
Key Points
- Ng Kin-wai, a former pro-democracy local councillor in Yuen Long, became the latest Hong Kong 47 defendant to leave prison on Friday
- He had been jailed for five years and seven months after being convicted of conspiracy to subvert state power
- Ng was released from Shek Pik Prison on Lantau Island, where curtained vehicles were seen leaving in the early morning
- Wearing the same grey suit from his 2024 mitigation hearing, Ng said he felt sadness, confusion, anger and also pride
- He said he chose what he believed was best for Hong Kong’s future at the time and chose to sacrifice
Why It Matters
Ng’s release brings renewed public attention to the Hong Kong 47 case, which centred on the July 2020 unofficial primary election and the authorities’ use of the national security law against that effort. His remarks also underscore how some former opposition figures continue to frame their actions as political conviction, even after the court ruled the plan could have triggered a “constitutional crisis” and 45 defendants were convicted