London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Fugitive Hong Kong activist Nathan Law granted political asylum in Britain

Fugitive Hong Kong activist Nathan Law granted political asylum in Britain

Law says the Home Office granted him refugee status following a four-month-long application process.

Hong Kong fugitive and former opposition lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung has been granted political asylum in Britain, more than nine months after he fled to London ahead of the introduction of the national security law.

In a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday night, he said the Home Office had deemed him a refugee under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and he would be offered asylum.

Law said the application required several interviews over four months. To make his case that he had fled persecution at home, he pointed to politically motivated lawsuits and the scope of the national security law.

He expressed concern that other activists who had fled to Britain might not be granted the same status because of a lack of media attention or their having fled before the persecution.

“I hope that my case can help the Home Office understand more about the complicated situation in Hong Kong. To free more protesters from Beijing’s authoritarian oppression, the Home Office could consider more comprehensive evidence when coping with Hong Kong cases,” he wrote.

The former student leader previously said he chose to stay in Britain because he hoped to “sound an alarm to remind” the country and Europe of the dangers the Communist Party posed to the values of democracy.

Law was elected to the Legislative Council in 2016 and at age 23 became the city’s youngest lawmaker yet. But he was stripped of his seat in 2017 after a court found he and several others had been insincere in taking their oaths.

Law fled Hong Kong in late June last year, days before Beijing imposed the security law, which has been heavily criticised by Britain and other Western nations. London claimed the law constituted a breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which laid out the terms of the city’s handover in 1997.

An arrest warrant was issued for Law in October after he failed to appear in court over an illegal assembly charge stemming from the banned June 4 candlelight vigil marking the Tiananmen crackdown. Police cited public health concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason for the ban.

While police have not made public a list of wanted dissidents, sources have identified Law as one of the people who had fled overseas and were wanted on suspicion of breaking the security law, which bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

In a previous newspaper article, Law said: “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.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×