A Hong Kong court on Wednesday found Kwok Yin-sang, the father of a U.S.-based pro-democracy activist, guilty of violating the city’s national security law by handling financial assets linked to his daughter, marking the first such conviction under newly enacted legal provisions targeting “absconders.” The ruling comes amid an intensifying campaign by Hong Kong authorities to apply sweeping security legislation against critics abroad.

Kwok, 69, was convicted under Article 23 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for allegedly attempting to access or dispose of an insurance policy in his daughter’s name, even though she is wanted by law enforcement for alleged national security offences.

Acting Principal Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi said the father must have known his daughter was an absconder and that trying to manage her assets violated the law.

Kwok pleaded not guilty but was found guilty following a trial at West Kowloon Magistrates Court.

The judge can impose a sentence of up to two years’ imprisonment in magistrates’ court proceedings.

His sentencing is scheduled for later this month.

The defendant’s daughter, Anna Kwok, is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council and has been wanted by Hong Kong police since 2023 on charges including collusion with foreign forces.

The authorities have offered a bounty of one million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to her arrest and have barred anyone from handling her funds within the city.

This case is the first to apply the newer Article 23 provisions to the family member of an activist living overseas.

Human rights advocates and rights organisations have criticised the conviction as an escalation of what they describe as “transnational repression” targeting dissidents and their families.

Amnesty International’s Hong Kong Overseas representative described the verdict as a “disturbing escalation” in the use of security laws against relatives of exiled activists.

Critics argue that prosecuting a family member for managing personal assets crosses legal and ethical lines and signals a broader trend of enforcing national security legislation far beyond the city’s borders.

Anna Kwok denounced the conviction on social media, saying her father was punished “simply for being my father” and calling the case founded on “incoherent fiction.” She reaffirmed her commitment to continue her advocacy from abroad despite the ruling.

The proceeding reflects ongoing tensions between Hong Kong’s security apparatus and pro-democracy campaigners in exile, against the backdrop of Beijing’s efforts to tighten control over dissent and extend the reach of its national security framework.