Chung Hin-lap is 63 years old. He isn’t a high-profile politician or a street protest leader. But on Thursday, a Hong Kong court sent him to prison for three months.
His crime? Posting on social media. Between 2023 and 2024, Chung shared 57 “seditious” posts on platforms like Facebook and X. The government says these posts insulted the national anthem and promoted Hong Kong independence. But to many observers, the sentence looks like something else: a message to his daughter.
A family caught in the crosshairs
Chung is the father of Frances Hui, a prominent democracy activist now living in the United States. She’s one of several activists with a bounty on her head from the Hong Kong government. While she is safe in Washington, her father is still within the reach of the city’s legal system.
Since the 2020 National Security Law took effect, the city has been transformed. What used to be a hub of free expression has become a place where even a “like” or a “share” can land you in a cell. This case highlights a worrying trend where the families of those who fled abroad are being targeted by the authorities.
Cracking down on ‘sedition’
The magistrate in the case, Victor So, didn’t hold back. He argued that Chung’s posts could incite “hatred” against the government. Even though Chung’s lawyer argued the posts had limited reach, the court wasn’t moved. In today’s Hong Kong, the intent matters more than the actual impact.
This isn’t an isolated incident. We’re seeing a pattern of “sedition” charges used to silence anyone who dares to mock the authorities or support the pro-democracy movement. It creates a chilling effect that reaches far beyond the courtroom and into people’s living rooms.
For families split between Hong Kong and the West, the distance is growing in more ways than one. While Frances Hui continues her advocacy from the U.S., her father will be spending the next few months behind bars. It’s a heavy price for a few lines of text on a screen.
The wall between private life and political speech hasn’t just been blurred—it’s been knocked down entirely.