Former Hong Kong Democratic Party Chairman Wu Chi-wai Allowed to Stay for 6 Monthsin the UK

Wu Chi-wai, former chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party who was imprisoned over the “47-person case,” was recently released upon completing his sentence. He flew to the UK last week and was detained by Border Force for nearly 10 hours after arriving in London.

Wu arrived at London Heathrow Airport on the morning of July 22 on a flight from Hong Kong, entering with a British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport, but was intercepted for questioning. The UK’s The Times reported that he originally intended to apply for political asylum. Speaking to BBC Chinese, Wu denied this claim but confirmed that the UK Border Force had effectively refused his entry, granting him only seven days of “immigration bail.” He is required to report to border authorities at the airport and face deportation upon expiration of the period.

Paul Harris, Wu’s legal representative and former chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, stated that UK immigration authorities have since approved Wu to stay in the UK as a visitor for six months.

Wu had previously been sentenced to 4 years and 5 months in prison for conspiring to subvert state power in the pan-democrats case, and was released late last month after serving his term. During his entry into the UK days ago, he was detained for over 10 hours before being released into the country. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Wu mentioned that UK authorities believed his trip to the UK had other motives besides visiting relatives, including seeking long-term residency, and initially only permitted him to stay until this Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Government told BBC Chinese that “the HKSAR government has not received any requests for assistance from Hong Kong citizens so far.” Responding to inquiries from Hong Kong media, authorities stated that Wu had completed his prison sentence and “enjoys rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance according to law.”