London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Missing Hong Kong protester Alexandra Wong 'was held in mainland China'

Missing Hong Kong protester Alexandra Wong 'was held in mainland China'

"Grandma Wong" says she was detained by mainland police and forced to renounce her activism.


Alexandra Wong, 64, was nicknamed "Grandma Wong" and was often pictured waving a British flag at protests.

She said she was detained last August in the border city of Shenzhen and forced to renounce her activism in writing.

Ms Wong said she was also sent on a "patriotic tour" of Shaanxi province.

While there, she had to sing the national anthem and was photographed waving the Chinese flag. She was then released on bail, she said, but was forbidden from returning to Hong Kong.

Last year's anti-government protests began in June 2019 over plans to allow extradition to mainland China, but later morphed into a broader movement demanding full democracy.

Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, but was then returned to Chinese control under the principle of "one country, two systems". While it is technically part of China, the territory has its own legal system and borders, and rights including freedom of assembly and free speech are protected.

Speaking at an emotional press conference in Hong Kong on Saturday, Ms Wong said she was initially detained by the authorities in Shenzhen for a total of 45 days, for "administrative detention" and "criminal detention". However, she wasn't told what charges she was facing.


image captionMs Wong was often pictured with a British flag at the protests


"I was afraid I would die in that detention centre," she said.

At the end of the 45 days she was told to declare on camera that she hadn't been tortured, she said, and that she wouldn't protest or do interviews with the media.

She was also forced to confess in writing that her activism was wrong - something she described as "the worst thing I did in my life".

After this she was sent to Shaanxi province, in north-east China, before being released on bail pending trial for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".

She was not given any written documentation of these charges.



For a year after her release on bail, she was only allowed to go back to Shenzhen, the border city where she lives, and was forbidden from going to Hong Kong.

These conditions expired late last month.

Ms Wong told reporters that she had "no courage" to return to Shenzhen "unless there is a radical change in the political situation".

"I won't give up fighting," she added. "After all, there will be sacrifice, otherwise... the authoritarian system won't be changed."

She also called for the release of 12 Hong Kong activists, believed to be fleeing to Taiwan, who were intercepted at sea by mainland authorities in August.

Hong Kong saw a wave of arrests of activists earlier this year under a controversial national security law imposed by China in June.

The security law, opposed by many in Hong Kong, punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life in prison.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×