Frances Hui is policy and advocacy coordinator for the Committee for Freedom and Hong Kong Foundation. Having become an activist at the age of 14, Hui left Hong Kong to study journalism in the USA in September 2016. After returning to Hong Kong, she became the first Hong Kong activist to be granted political asylum in the United States following the adoption of the National Security Law in 2020.
CJLPA: I’d like to begin by thanking you, Frances, for speaking with The Cambridge Journal of Law, Politics, and Art to discuss your story of having to leave what became a threatening Hong Kong after you fought endlessly for human rights and democracy. I was hoping to learn more about your personal experiences in Hong Kong. What ignited the spark in you to speak out for human rights and democracy for the people?
Frances Hui: During my speech in Geneva, I mentioned that the first protests that I had ever been to were [regarding] the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. In Hong Kong, we traditionally have an annual vigil to commemorate the incident and that was my first time attending a public assembly. At that time, I was about ten years old, I think—growing up, learning of Hong Kong as being part of China and then all of a sudden getting to know like this piece of history was very daunting for me—and [especially] the fact that it only happened about ten years before I was born. It feels very close to me, it was just two decades ago, not a long time ago. The fact that in Hong Kong we are able to rally publicly, legally, without exposing ourselves to risk, I feel like it’s some sort of like—I don’t know I don’t know if it applies to everyone—but it feels like there is some sort of responsibility that comes to me. I feel like being a Hong Konger we should utilize the rights and freedoms that we enjoy. So it was a powerful moment to be in the middle of the crowd, knowing that everyone has the same values. It is very powerful when you chant the same slogan, and have people surrounding you who are with you and upholding the same values and probably had a similar culture as you growing up as well. It is something that draws me to public rallies, people’s movements. The feeling of being in the crowd and surrounded by people with the same values—I think that was the time that when my eyes were opened and I realised that this is our privilege and it is something that we should treasure and enjoy.