Hong Kong Democracy Activist Edward Leung Released From Jail

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong activist Edward Leung, who popularized a now-banned protest slogan, was released from a maximum-security prison after serving four years behind bars for his role in a violent protest.

Leung, once a self-described Hong Kong “localist” whose more radical approach to politics won him supporters among protesters, was freed early Wednesday on good behavior, after being sentenced to six years in prison in 2018. He left the Shek Pik prison on Lantau island shortly before 3 a.m., according to local media outlet HK01.

“After a separation that lasted four years, I would treasure my valuable time with my family and return to a normal life with them,” Leung, 30, said in a Wednesday Facebook post. “I thank each and everyone for their care and love.”

Leung added that he’d stop using social media and turn down interview requests. His Facebook page has since been deleted.

Leung rose to prominence during his 2016 run for the city’s Legislative Council as a pro-independence candidate. His campaign slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” later became a rallying cry of the 2019 anti-government unrest, and has since been banned under a national security law imposed on the city by Beijing in June 2020. Usage of that phrase has been cited in two security law convictions. 

The “fish ball riot” Leung was jailed for began as a protest against government restrictions on unlicensed street vendors during the 2016 Lunar New Year. More than 90 police officers were injured and warning shots were fired into the air, making it some of the worst unrest the city had seen in decades. 

Leung was convicted for rioting under a colonial statute that authorities have increasingly used against protesters.   

Separately, a court approved student activist Joshua Wong’s appeal for a reduction to a 10-month sentence he’s serving for his role in an unauthorized vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, local media reported. Despite the two-month reduction, Wong will remain in custody awaiting trial for his national security charges.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.