Since I was forced to flee my city, I’ve continued my activism for democracy from the UK. Now I’ve applied for asylum here
When I fled Hong Kong in late June, I did not reveal my whereabouts due to security concerns. People suspected that I would be in the US, as I was involved in political advocacy work in Capitol Hill when I was studying at Yale University in 2019. But I indeed chose another path – I arrived in London and became an international advocate for Hong Kong’s democratic movement. I’ve struggled with the question of whether I should stay in the UK for the long term, but I’ve now come to a decision – an application for asylum in the UK has been submitted.
My decision to leave Hong Kong attracted attention in different aspects. Due to the implementation of the national security law, which grants the government sweeping powers to prosecute political dissidents in Hong Kong for speech crimes, I decided to flee to where I could speak freely. I am the first former lawmaker in Hong Kong, and the youngest elected in history, to live a life of exile.
Nathan Law is a politician and activist from Hong Kong, and was leader of Demosistō from 2016 to 2018
Continue reading…This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.