HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court found the father of a wanted activist guilty of a national security violation on Wednesday after he tried to end her insurance policy and withdraw the funds, drawing international criticism for the targeting of relatives of pro-democracy campaigners.
Kwok Yin-sang, 69, is the first person to be charged under a Hong Kong law known as Article 23 that expands on a Beijing-imposed national security law, for “attempting to deal with, directly or indirectly, any funds or other financial assets or economic resources” belonging to an absconder.
His daughter, Anna Kwok, helps lead the Washington-based advocacy group Hong Kong Democracy Council, and is one of 34 overseas activists wanted by Hong Kong national security police. She is accused of colluding with foreign forces and police have offered a bounty of HK$1 million ($127,400) for her arrest.
Kwok Yin-sang was accused of trying to withdraw funds totaling HK$88,609 ($11,342) from an insurance policy which he bought for her when she was almost two years old. He had pleaded not guilty and did not testify at the trial.
Acting Principal Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi said since Anna Kwok is a fugitive, directly or indirectly handling her insurance policy is illegal.
A sentence will be handed down on Feb 26. Kwok Yin-sang faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years, but the sentencing is capped at two years at the magistrate court level.
During arguments on sentencing, defense lawyer Steven Kwan asked the judge to consider a 14-day prison term, as Kwok Yin-sang only intended to get back the money back for himself but no evidence shows that it would go to his daughter.
According to the prosecution, when Kwok was arrested, he said under police caution: “I know my daughter is wanted by the Security Bureau. I was the one paying for her insurance policy. Since she’s no longer in Hong Kong, I just cut it.”
Kwok Yin-sang’s bail was revoked after the conviction and he appeared calm and waved to his family as he was taken back into custody.
During the closing submission, defense lawyer Kwan argued that section 89 and 90 of Article 23 should not apply in a case where a person was simply handling an insurance policy he had purchased a long time ago for his children.
“This … is a form of prosecution based on family ties,” Kwan said.
Anna Kwok’s brother was also arrested for the same crime and is currently on bail.
Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said punishing a father for his daughter’s peaceful activism is “an alarming act of collective punishment that has no place under international human rights law.”
Hong Kong activist’s father convicted under national security over insurance policy
https://arab.news/ghvuv
Hong Kong activist’s father convicted under national security over insurance policy
- Defense lawyer asks the judge to consider a 14-day prison term
- Kwok Yin-sang faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years
Germany takes delivery of Israeli-made underwater drone
- "The army said the Blue Whale was the navy’s “largest and most advanced unmanned underwater vehicle to date“
- The device was tested in the Baltic Sea
BERLIN: The German navy on Wednesday said it had taken delivery of an Israeli-made Blue Whale underwater drone intended for reconnaissance and detecting “hybrid threats at sea.”
The autonomous underwater vehicle, developed by Israeli company IAI together with German submarine- and warship-maker TKMS, was received in the northern port of Eckernfoerde, the navy said in a statement.
The army on its website said the Blue Whale was the navy’s “largest and most advanced unmanned underwater vehicle to date.”
The device was tested in the Baltic Sea, a flashpoint for tensions between Russia and NATO since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the army said.
Military experts and European leaders say Russia has ramped up its “hybrid war” in the strategic region — now bordered entirely by NATO members, with the exception of Russia — through airspace incursions and suspected sabotage of undersea cables.
TKMS said the Blue Whale was capable of “conducting reconnaissance operations, detecting targets above and below the sea surface, collecting acoustic information, and locating sea mines on the seabed.”
Israel and Germany have upped their defense cooperation in recent months and in January signed a security pact to expand joint work on counterterrorism and cyber defense.
In December, Germany approved a $3.1 billion expansion of a contract for the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defense system, which is Israeli-made and developed with US support.
