Hong Kong Watch celebrates International Women’s Day 2026

Today, Hong Kong Watch celebrates International Women’s Day by standing in solidarity with female pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders, and political prisoners in Hong Kong, and calling for renewed focus on accountability for women’s rights violations in Hong Kong and gender-based transnational repression overseas.

The past year has involved an increase in gendered forms of transnational repression, including misogynist insults, harassment, stalking, the distribution of fake or doctored images intended to be demeaning or degrading, and threats of bodily harm, including rape. The proliferation of generative AI platforms, which can create manipulated images of real people in seconds, has become a particular concern over the past year for female activists and human rights defenders. In December 2025, pro-democracy activist and former Hong Kong district councillor Carmen Lau revealed that sexually explicit deepfakes had been circulated among her neighbours in the United Kingdom.

In the past year, the Hong Kong authorities have also targeted the family members of female pro-democracy activists. Last month, Kwok Yin-sang, the father of pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok, became the first family member of an ‘absconder’, or exiled activist, to be convicted under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) for offences directly connected to his relation to Ms Kwok. He was sentenced to eight months in prison by West Kowloon Magistrates’s Court for attempting to access an insurance policy that had been taken out in Ms Kwok’s name when she was a child.

Finally, Hong Kong continues to hold the highest rate of female prisoners in the world, with women representing 21.5% of the total prison population. This includes many political prisoners, including Chow Hang-tung, Hong Kong activist and barrister, who alongside Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho faces 10 years’ imprisonment for inciting subversion under the National Security Law. Her trial, which started in January 2026, is still ongoing.

On International Women’s Day 2026, we urge the Hong Kong authorities to release Chow Hang-tung and all other political prisoners. We also call on democratic governments across the world to introduce greater protections for female activists, journalists and human rights defenders from gendered forms of transnational repression and online abuse, including greater legal protections against the creation and transmission of manipulated images.

We support the #IWD2026 for the women of Hong Kong in the city and around the world.

Megan Khoo, Policy Director at Hong Kong Watch, commented:

“Women fighting for freedom should never face silence or fear. On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the courage and resilience of the women of Hong Kong. We urge the international community to hold accountable those who violate their rights, at home and abroad.”

國際婦女節2026  香港監察聲援爭取自由香港女性  呼籲對侵害婦女權利及性別跨國鎮壓行為問責

今天是國際婦女節，香港監察聲援香港女性社運人士、人權捍衛者和政治犯，並呼籲重新關注對香港侵害婦女權利行為和海外性別跨國鎮壓行為問責。

過去一年，基於性別的跨國鎮壓事件有所增加，包括厭女侮辱、騷擾、跟蹤、傳播意圖羞辱或貶低女性的虛假或經篡改圖片，以及強姦等身體傷害威脅。去年，女性社運人士和人權捍衛者特別關注可在數秒內製作經篡改真實人物影像的生成式AI平台激增問題。2025年12月，社運人士、前香港區議員劉珈汶（Carmen Lau）透露，她在英國的鄰居收到「深偽」祼露照片。

過去一年，香港當局亦打壓女性社運人士的家人。上月，社運人士郭鳳儀（Anna Kwok）的父親郭賢生被裁定「處理潛逃者資金」罪名成立，是首位被控違反「23條」罪成的流亡社運人士家人。他因試圖提取郭鳳儀名下保單款項而被判處八個月監禁。

最後，香港女性囚犯佔總監獄人口21.5%，仍然是全球女性囚犯比例最高的地方。當中有不少是政治犯，包括香港社運人士、大律師鄒幸彤。鄒幸彤與李卓人和何俊仁同被控違反《國家安全法》「煽動他人顛覆國家政權」罪，恐面臨十年監禁。她的案件於2026年1月開審，目前仍在審理階段。

今年國際婦女節，香港監察促請香港當局釋放鄒幸彤及所有其他香港政治犯。我們亦呼籲世界各國民主政府加強對女性社運人士、記者和人權捍衛者的保護，保障她們免受基於性別的跨國鎮壓和網絡虐待，包括針對製作及傳播經篡改圖片行為提供更有力的法律保護。

我們支持#IWD2026，與身處香港以至世界各地的香港婦女站在同一陣線。

香港監察政策總監Megan Khoo表示：

「女性絕不應因爭取自由而被噤聲或感恐懼。時值國際婦女節，香港監察讚揚香港女性的勇氣與堅韌。我們促請國際社會追究香港內外侵害婦女權利者的責任。」