A Hong Kong man jailed for 8 months under national security law for trying to access his daughter’s insurance funds, sparking concerns over transnational repression.

Under the city's national security law, Kwok Yin-sang, a man from Hong Kong, was given an eight-month prison sentence for trying to take money out of an education insurance policy he purchased for his daughter, Anna Kwok, a U.S.-based activist who is wanted by Hong Kong authorities with a $1 million bounty. Under Hong Kong's 2024 national security law, which makes it illegal to handle assets associated with people who are considered "absconders," this is the first known case that targets a family member of an international pro-democracy advocate. Kwok, who entered a not guilty plea and expressed no regret, was found guilty of acts that prosecutors claimed contributed to his daughter's wanted status. Anna Kwok accused authorities of using the legal system to intimidate political dissidents and their families, calling the accusations unfounded and a form of international repression. The case has raised concerns about the use of collective punishment, the deterioration of civil liberties in Hong Kong, and the growth of state repression on a global scale.