Father Convicted in Insurance Case

HONG KONG, 11 February — A Hong Kong magistrates’ court has convicted 69-year-old Kok Yin-sang of breaching the city’s national security legislation after he attempted to cancel a life insurance policy held in his daughter’s name and withdraw the accrued funds. The ruling has prompted expressions of concern from international human rights organisations, which argue that such prosecutions risk targeting family members and raise troubling questions about the scope of justice under the territory’s expanding security framework.

According to evidence presented in court, Kok purchased a life insurance policy in his daughter Anna Kok’s name when she was approximately two years old. Years later, he sought to cancel the policy and withdraw HK$88,609 (around US$11,342). Prosecutors contended that because Anna Kok is currently overseas and listed by Hong Kong’s national security police as a “wanted fugitive”, any direct or indirect interference with assets associated with her constitutes a criminal offence under the law.

The case is widely regarded as one of the first significant applications of Hong Kong’s domestically enacted “Article 23” legislation, introduced as an expansion of the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL). The measure strengthens oversight of acts deemed to endanger national security, including alleged collusion with foreign forces and related financial dealings. In delivering his judgment, the magistrate observed that managing or attempting to access the assets of a person declared a fugitive amounted to a “clear violation” of the statutory provisions.

Anna Kok, who is affiliated with the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, responded on social media, asserting that she neither owned nor exercised control over the policy and had never sought to claim any funds from her father. “Today my father has been punished simply for being my father,” she wrote. Hong Kong police have announced a bounty of HK$1 million (approximately US$127,400) for information leading to her arrest.

Defence counsel Steven Kwan argued that Kok’s intention had been solely to recover what he considered his own savings and that he had no involvement in activities threatening national security. The defendant pleaded not guilty and did not testify. Following the conviction, his bail was immediately revoked. Sentencing has been adjourned until 26 February. While the maximum penalty under the relevant national security provisions can reach seven years’ imprisonment, the magistrates’ court is empowered to impose a custodial sentence of up to two years.

Key Case Details

Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, criticised the ruling, stating that penalising a family member in connection with alleged peaceful political activity amounts to “collective punishment”, a practice inconsistent with international human rights standards.

The judgment is likely to intensify debate over the breadth and enforcement of Hong Kong’s national security architecture. Supporters argue that stringent implementation is essential to safeguard sovereignty and public order. Critics, however, warn that the expanding reach of the law risks chilling civic freedoms and placing familial relationships under legal scrutiny, thereby reshaping the city’s social and political landscape.