Hong Kong democracy activist Agnes Chow Ting, who had disappeared from public view for two years, suddenly came out of seclusion and wrote a lengthy post on Instagram. In her new post of December 3, 2023, Ting recounted her journey over the past few years, which she described as being filled with fear and anxiety. Even after being released from prison in June 2021, she is still haunted by the relentless trauma. Her fears and anxiety have not diminished.
Subjected to round-the-clock surveillance
Agnes Chow Ting said that after being released from prison, she still had to abide by the guarantee conditions of the National Security Law. She had to report regularly to a designated police station, her passport was confiscated, and she could not leave the country. Every three months, the National Security apparatus would require her to sign a “Notice of Detention of Travel Documents,” informing her that her passport would be withheld for an additional three months; so it was a continuous cycle of “three months followed by another three months,” with no prospect of escape.
She starts to lose hope
During this period, Agnes Chow Ting began to fall apart emotionally. She lived under a cloud of constant worry and fear that she would be arrested again and that the national security forces would break into her house at any time. She was under a relentless storm of fear and stress.
Later, after a doctor’s diagnosis, it was found that she suffered from anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and depression. This is the reason she disappeared from public view. She has been living in a state of heightened fear. She reported that her mood and body condition were at their worst in 2023.
Accepted by a Canadian university
To seek a way out of her systematic prison, Agnes Chow Ting enrolled in an overseas master’s degree program and was fortunate enough to be accepted by a Canadian university. She then applied to the National Security Department to retrieve her passport. During this period, the national security establishment asked her for detailed information about the degree program.
It required her to write a “Letter of Repentance,” confessing that she regretted her past political activities and promised not to participate again in social activities in the future and that she would not contact other social activists.
Agnes Chow Ting said that to escape from Hong Kong, she had to make some compromises; otherwise, “she would lose the opportunity to study, and at worst, she would not be able to leave.”
Forced to undertake reformed programming
After many checkpoints, in early July 2023, the National Security Office informed Agnes Chow Ting that if she wanted to go to Canada, she would have to go to the mainland National Security Bureau, and only after making that trip would they return her passport. In addition, she would be required to return to Hong Kong during her university vacations and report to the police station.
Agnes Chow Ting said that she did not dare to object to the requirements of the National Security Department. During that time, she was terrified and worried that she would be sent back to prison and that would be the “end” of her life.
In August 2023, she was “accompanied” by five Hong Kong national security officials to mainland China. There, she was brought to a “Reform and Opening-up Exhibition” to learn about the development of China and the Communist Party. Following that exhibition, she was brought to Tencent’s headquarters to learn about the “scientific and technological development of the motherland.”
Agnes Chow Ting said that she did not deny China’s economic development, but “Isn’t it a kind of weakness for such a powerful country to send those who fight for democracy to prison, restrict their freedom of entry and exit, and also require them to enter mainland China to visit patriotic exhibitions to get their passport back.”
Back in Hong Kong, Agnes Chow Ting was “asked” by the national security apparatus to write a letter saying: “Thanks to the police for making arrangements so that I could understand the great development of the motherland.” In those few months, she wrote several such handwritten letters. Finally, she received her passport back the day before her departure in September.
Fredom is precious
Agnes Chow Ting was initially scheduled to return to Hong Kong from Canada at the end of December to report to the police. Still, she changed her mind and announced: “I have decided that I will not go back to report to the police, and I will probably not go back for the rest of my life.” The reason for such a decision is her worry that her previous fears and traumatic experiences would recur and her personal safety, health, and mind would also collapse.
Agnes Chow Ting said that in the past few years, she has personally felt how precious freedom from fear is. “Freedom is not easy to come by. I have experienced the days of fear, and now I cherish all those who have not forgotten, cared about, and loved themselves. I hope we will all be able to reunite shortly and embrace each other.”
Imprisoned as a supporter of democracy
According to public information, Agnes Chow Ting, born on December 3, 1996, just turned 27 this year. She has been involved in the pro-democracy movement for 10 years. At the age of 15, she joined the student organization “Scholarism,” founded by Joshua Wong to oppose the brainwashing of national education by the Communist Party of China in Hong Kong.
On June 30, 2020, the day the National Security Law came into effect, Agnes Chow Ting, Joshua Wong, and Nathan Law announced their dissolution and withdrawal from “Demosisto,” a pro-democracy political organization established as a political party.
Exiled in Canada
On August 10, 2020, Agnes Chow Ting was arrested by Hong Kong police on charges under the new, draconian National Security Law and later released. On December 2, she was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment on charges of “participating in and inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly” for besieging the police headquarters during the anti-extradition movement on June 21, 2019. She was released from prison on June 12, 2020, after serving nearly seven months of her sentence.
In December 2023, Agnes Chow Ting made her first public announcement since her release and stated that she had moved to Canada in September 2023 to study for a master’s degree at a university in Toronto.
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