Executive Summary – ACRHK Policy Brief No. 01/2026 – Punished Twice at the Border: Japan’s Treatment of Hongkongers Prosecuted for Political Reasons, and a Proposal for a G7 Political-Prosecution Verification Mechanism
ACRHK Policy Brief No. 01/2026 – Punished Twice at the Border: Japan’s Treatment of Hongkongers Prosecuted for Political Reasons, and a Proposal for a G7 Political-Prosecution Verification Mechanism
ACRHK Policy Brief No. 01/2026 Punished Twice at the Border: Japan’s Treatment of Hongkongers Prosecuted for Political Reasons, and a Proposal for a G7 Political-Prosecution Verification Mechanism
In June 2026, Jimmy Sham, released after serving his “Hong Kong 47” sentence, was examined for about 20 hours at Haneda Airport. Since 2024, ACRHK has recorded at least five Hongkongers prosecuted or imprisoned in connection with the democracy movement or the National Security Law who met serious obstacles at Japan’s border: long holds, advice to withdraw a landing application, and a visa demand with a stay of only three weeks.
Japan’s Immigration Control Act (Art. 5(1)(iv)) already excepts persons sentenced for a political offence from its entry bar, and Japan has joined its G7 partners in calling on the Hong Kong authorities to “end such prosecutions”. What is missing is a procedure that confirms, once and in advance, that a prosecution was political.
The brief proposes a Political-Prosecution Verification Mechanism (PPVM). A case is verified once at an embassy or consulate; certified persons enter on the same terms as other Hongkongers; and the certification carries over into Japan’s JESTA and similar systems. It also asks the United Kingdom to turn the ad-hoc resolution of Wu Chi-wai’s case into a standing process, and the G7 to recognise one another’s determinations.
In the summer of 2019, Hongkongers raised their umbrellas and walked the streets side by side. Seven years on, the umbrellas have not fallen — and we still walk together.
ACRHK 香港公民代表會議 與 Stand with HK @ JPN 誠邀身在東京的你,一同見證、一同銘記、一同延續這場未竟的運動。
ACRHK(香港公民代表会議)と Stand with HK @ JPN は、東京で共に見届け、この終わらない運動を受け継ぐ集会を開催します。
ACRHK (Assembly of Citizens’ Representatives, Hong Kong) and Stand with HK @ JPN invite you to gather in Tokyo to remember, to bear witness, and to carry on this unfinished movement.
日時 Time:2026年6月13日(土)/ Saturday, 13 June 2026 17:00〜18:00
地點 Venue:八公前廣場(JR澀谷站前)/ハチ公前広場(JR渋谷駅前)/Hachiko Square, JR Shibuya Station
This assembly stands in solidarity with the global “Umbrellas Never Fall, We Walk Side by Side” 24-hour umbrella relay, commemorating the 7th anniversary of the 2019 movement alongside Hongkongers in the US, UK and beyond.
We also call on the Japanese government to introduce a foreign-agent registration scheme and to close the Hong Kong ETO, which risks becoming a nest for espionage.
Bring your umbrella — yellow if possible (other colours welcome too). As long as someone is still willing to hold up an umbrella, the memory lives on and the movement continues.
Statement of the Assembly of Citizens’ Representatives, Hong Kong – Strongly Condemning the Political Trial and Persecution of Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily Defendants by the Hong Kong Communist Regime
The Assembly of Citizens’ Representatives, Hong Kong passed motion:
The Assembly of Citizens’ Representatives, Hong Kong, on this 26th day of January 2026, commemorates the 185th anniversary of the founding of Hong Kong as a port, acknowledges the history of the Hong Kong nation during British colonial rule, a history built upon the dedicated efforts and active contributions of the HongKonger themselves in constructing their permanent home, and expresses the earnest hope that Hong Kong may soon be liberated from secondary colonization by the Chinese Communist Party. National self-determination brooks no delay.
開埠186年 二○二六年一月二十六日 Year 186 of the Founding of Hong Kong On 26 January, 2026
We refuse the false trade‑off between UK’s national security and “bluffed” economic gains. Keir Starmer should not make the UK dependent on “evil money” linked to regimes that brutalise their own people. China is a vital economic lifeline for Iran’s rulers—buying sanctioned oil and supplying surveillance tech. While the world is mourning for the courageous Iranians now, Starmer must not further reward such China’s support on the Iran regime.
The UK Parliament and the UN has found genocide & crimes against humanity against Uyghurs in China. China has also breached the Sino‑British Joint Declaration, completely destroying “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong’s freedoms. We, Hong Kongers, know what transnational repression looks like in Britain: from the assault on a protester at the Manchester consulate to bounties targeting UK‑based activists. Granting a mega‑embassy in the heart of London will only embolden that behaviour.
Statement from Assembly of Citizen Representatives, Hong Kong (ACRHK) following the 17 January Anti China’s Mega-Embassy protest
Yesterday, 17 January 2026, nearly 1500 people gathered at Royal Mint Court, London to protest against the proposal to build China’s mega‑embassy on this historic site. Participants included Hongkongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs, people from Myanmar, Ukrainians, Chinese dissidents in the UK, and many local British residents who oppose the plan.
ACRHK stands in full support of this protest. We share the deep concerns that a “super‑embassy” of this scale could become a major hub for surveillance, enabling transnational repression against dissidents living in the UK. We are also worried about the broader national security risks this project may pose to Britain. More importantly, we, a group of former Hong Kong district councillors and legislative councillors, firmly believe in bottom‑up democracy. The Tower Hamlets Council has already rejected this planning proposal twice. It is deeply troubling that the Labour government moved to overturn the local decision shortly after officials visited China a year ago. This raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and whose interests are being prioritised.
During yesterday’s demonstration, members of ACRHK and fellow Hong Kong protestors prepared to project messages onto the walls of Royal Mint Court—highlighting the dangers of the embassy plan and calling for freedom for Jimmy Lai. Police intervened, preventing the projection. Protestors then built a mobile cardboard wall to carry out their action, yet for a long period police also stopped them from projecting even onto their own materials. Only after protestors began projecting messages onto their own bodies, and local media learned of the incident, did the police finally allow the use of the temporary cardboard screen. Projection is an entirely peaceful form of expression. It is absurd and worrying that the police appeared to prioritise protecting the interests of the Chinese authorities over safeguarding people’s freedom of speech in the UK. Preventing protestors from projecting onto their own property crosses a line and must be questioned.
We were encouraged to see British politicians from across different parties speaking at the protest. With the supposed deadline for the UK government’s announcement on this planning decision approaching on 20 Jan, we await the outcome closely.
Should the embassy proposal be approved, ACRHK, together with other Hong Kongers across the UK, stands ready to support Tower Hamlets residents in crowdfunding for a Judicial Review. We will continue defending democratic principles, community autonomy, and the safety of those targeted by the regime of the Chinese Communist Party.
1 月17 日反對中共超級大使館行動後 —— 香港公民代表會議 聲明
2026年1 月 17 日,約1500名示威者於倫敦 Royal Mint Court(皇家鑄幣廠) 集會,反對中共政府在當地興建「超級大使館」。參與者包括:在英港人、藏人、維吾爾人、緬甸人、烏克蘭人、中共異見人士,以及反對此計劃的英國本地居民。
昨日集會中,香港公民代表會議成員連同其他香港示威者原本計劃於 Royal Mint Court 外牆投影關於中共大使館計劃問題之訊息,以及要求釋放黎智英之影象,但警方介入阻止。示威者其後用紙皮自製流動投影屏幕,警方卻依然在一段很長時間內阻止他們投影於自攜物料上。直到示威者將訊息投影喺自己身上(人牆),而且把事件告知本地媒體後,警方才肯放行,允許使用紙皮作投影屏幕。