Hong Kong Watch welcomes news that Wu Chi-wai granted leave to remain in UK

Hong Kong Watch welcomes the news that Wu Chi-wai, the former Hong Kong Democratic Party chairman and one of the ‘Hong Kong 47,’ has been granted six months’ leave to remain in the UK, following uncertainty over his immigration status. The decision means that Wu can reunite with his wife and son. Wu also has the right to apply for the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa from within the UK, should he choose to do so. 

Wu was detained on arrival at Heathrow Airport last week, had his passport confiscated, and was told he faced removal within seven days. He was then admitted on temporary immigration bail, and later told the Associated Press he faced deportation this Wednesday, cutting short a family reunion he and his wife and son had waited more than five years for, since his arrest in the national security crackdown in Hong Kong. Wu had served four years and five months in prison for conspiracy to commit subversion over his role in an unofficial 2020 primary election, part of the Hong Kong 47 case brought under the Beijing-imposed Hong Kong National Security Law.

Hong Kong Watch raised serious concerns at every stage of this case, from Wu’s detention at Heathrow to the threat of his imminent deportation, and has been pressing the Home Office for answers throughout. This included a letter from Hong Kong Watch Patrons to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging the Home Office to ensure that the BN(O) scheme does not exclude those it is designed to protect.

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

“This is the right outcome, and it should never have taken this long. Wu Chi-wai came to Britain to rebuild his life with his family after five years apart, four of them in a Hong Kong prison cell. He should never have faced the prospect of removal back to the city that jailed him.

We are grateful to the UK government and everyone who raised this case, including those in Parliament who pressed for answers. Wu Chi-wai can now choose to build a life in the UK with his wife and son, without looking over his shoulder at a flight back to Hong Kong. That is what sanctuary is supposed to look like.”

Hong Kong Watch will continue to monitor the cases of other Hong Kongers arriving in the UK under the BN(O) scheme, to ensure none face the treatment Wu Chi-wai experienced at the border. 

香港監察歡迎胡志偉獲准留英  繼續密切關注循BNO計劃抵英港人個案

香港監察歡迎前香港民主黨主席、47人案被告胡志偉獲准在英國居留六個月的消息，之前他的入境狀態一直存在不確定因素。這項決定意味着胡志偉可以與妻兒團聚。他選擇這樣做的話，亦有權在英國境內申請BNO簽證。

胡志偉上週飛抵希斯路機場時被扣留，護照被沒收，並被告知會在七天內遣返香港。他之後以臨時入境保釋（immigration bail）形式入境，後來告訴《美聯社》本週三會被遣返，中斷自他在香港國安打壓中被捕以來，他與妻兒等待五年有多的家庭團聚。胡志偉因參與2020年民主派立法會初選而被控「串謀顛覆國家政權」罪，已服畢四年五個月監禁刑期。他的案件是根據北京在香港強推的《國家安全法》提出檢控的47人案一部分。

從胡志偉在希斯路機場被扣留到面臨即將被遣返威脅，香港監察在本案每個階段都提出嚴重關注，並一直要求內政部解釋。當中包括香港監察贊助人去信內政大臣馬曼婷（Shabana Mahmood），促請內政部確保BNO計劃不會排除計劃旨在保護的人。

香港監察政策總監Megan Khoo表示：

「這是正確的結果，而且從來不應耗時這麼久。胡志偉與家人分隔五年後，來到英國重建生活，其中四年身陷香港監獄牢房。他從來不應面對被遣返回囚禁他城市的境地。

我們感謝英國政府和所有關注本案的人，包括要求解釋的國會議員。胡志偉現在可以選擇與妻子和兒子在英國建立生活，而不必一直擔心被送回香港。這才是庇護所應有的模樣。」

香港監察會繼續密切關注其他透過BNO計劃抵達英國香港人的個案，確保沒人會受到胡志偉在邊境所經歷的待遇。

Photo: Iris Tong, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons