Updates on the Releases of the HK45
#15 in Hong Kong Repression Monitor series
The Hong Kong Repression Monitor series provides overviews of indicators of repression in Hong Kong, based on research and data collected from 2019 to the present. For more information, see the introduction, which also has a full list of entries in the series as they are published.
This article is #15 in the Hong Kong Repression Monitor series.
As more of the HK45 are released from prison, this post will be updated, with the most recent releases added at the end of it.
Projected release dates of the HK45 can be found here.
LAST UPDATED JULY 27, 2026
As of July 3, 2026, 21 of the HK45 have been released from prison:
毛孟靜 CLAUDIA MO MAN CHING (毛孟靜), JEREMY TAM MAN HO (譚文豪), KWOK KA KI (郭家麒), and GARY FAN KWOK WAI (范國威) were released on April 29, 2025. They had all served their full sentences of 4 years and 2 months in prison each.
JIMMY SHAM TSZ KIT (岑子杰), KINDA LI KA TAT (李嘉達), ROY TAM HOI PONG (譚凱邦), and HENRY WONG PAK YU (王百羽) were released on May 30, 2025. They all had served their full sentences of 4 years and 3 months in prison each.
FRANKIE FUNG TAT CHUN (馮達浚), NATHAN LAU CHAK FUNG (劉澤鋒), and CAROL NG MAN YEE (吳敏兒 ) were released on July 28, 2025. They all had served their full sentences of 4 years and 5 months in prison.
TIFFANY YUEN KA WAI (袁嘉蔚) was released on August 19, 2025. She had served her full sentence of 4 years and 3 months.
ANDY CHUI CHI KIN (徐子見) was released on October 27, 2025, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 2 months.
ANDREW CHIU KA YIN (趙家賢) was reported on October 28, 2025 by two pro-CCP media outlets to have been granted early release. He wasn’t expected to be released until February 2028. He is the first national security prisoner to be given the customary one-third sentence reduction since national security legislation passed in 2024 stipulated that the Commissioner of Correctional Services must be satisfied that a national security prisoner would pose no threat to national security if granted early release.
EDDIE CHU HOI-DICK (朱凱迪) was released on January 15, 2026, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 5 months.
LESTER SHUM (岑敖暉) was released on January 26, 2026, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 6 months.
FERGUS LEUNG FONG-WAI (梁晃維) was released on January 27, 2026, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 11 months.
SAM CHEUNG HO-SUM (張可森) was released on January 27, 2026, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 11 months.
ALVIN YEUNG NGOK KIU (楊岳橋) was released on March 28, 2026, having served his full sentence of 5 years and 1 month.
WU CHI WAI (胡志偉) was released on June 30, 2026, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 5 months.
ANDREW WAN SIU KIN (尹兆堅) was released on July 3, 2026, having served his full sentence of 4 years and 8 months in prison.
Further information about the releases of those listed above can be found below.
The HK45 were convicted of “conspiracy to subvert state power” under the 2020 national security law for taking part in a pro-democracy primary election in July 2020 and given prison sentences of varying lengths. Some had already spent years in prison awaiting trial since they were first charged on February 28, 2021. Beginning in April 2025, the first were released. This post tracks their releases and will be updated regularly as more are released. For their projected release dates and background on the case, see here.
Of the 19 released so far, all were released in a similar way quite different from traditional prisoner releases in Hong Kong. Typically, in the past, when a prisoner was released from prison, the gates of the prison opened and the prisoner walked out. Friends, family and supporters would be waiting there to greet the prisoner. But in these cases, the prisoners were transported from the prison in vans with heavy curtains covering the windows and the space between the front seat and the back seats, so that whoever was being transported could not be seen. These vehicles presumably took the prisoners to their homes.
Of the 21 now released:
Six were seen entering their homes on the day of their release: Gary Fan, Jimmy Sham, Kinda Li, Nathan Lau, Frankie Fung and Wu Chi-wai.
Eight others—Claudia Mo, Henry Wong, Tiffany Yuen, Eddie Chu, Fergus Leung, Lester Shum, Andy Chui and Andrew Wan—released statements confirming their release afterwards. Wu Chi-wai also did. Kinda Li appeared in a new video with his band some months after his release.
Andrew Chiu appeared in a propaganda interview broadcast on CCP-aligned TVB.
Carol Ng appeared at the trial of fellow political prisoners Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan on February 4, 2026.
Kwok Ka-ki released a statement on April 16, 2026, nearly a year after he was reportedly released from prison. The statement was in regard to the decision of the Medical Council of Hong Kong to indefinitely suspend his medical license due to his conviction in the HK47 trial, effectively barring him from practicing medicine in Hong Kong. This marks the first time a doctor has been disqualified in relation to a “national security” case.
Four—Jeremy Tam, Roy Tam, Sam Cheung, and Alvin Yeung—have not released public statements, nor has there been any published independent confirmation of their release.
Here is a video of Nathan Lau arriving at his residence after his early-morning release from prison on July 28:
Compare him in that video to this photo of him taken when he was running for office in the pro-democracy primary election in 2020 to get a sense of how much his physical appearance has changed in the past five years:
Frankie Fung was also spotted arriving home on July 28, but could only be seen from the back:
Several hours later, he posted a message confirming his release, saying, “Reporting this strong boy is safe. Thank you to everyone who helped me.” Fung is a known cat lover and Liverpool fan.
When reporters approached the door of Claudia Mo’s home, they were met by her husband, Philip Bowring, who confirmed that she had been released and had returned home but said she could not talk at the moment. Behind him, a banner could be seen hanging in the apartment: “Welcome home, mum!”
Later, Claudia Mo posted a photo of herself near the banner on social media. Henry Wong also posted a photo of himself at home on social media.
Several hours after her release in the early morning of August 19, Tiffany Yuen posted a photo of herself on social media along with a brief message thanking Frankie Fung (himself released the month before) for the flowers and saying “give rehabilitated people a chance” and that she needs to rest.
Then, only a short time later, she and Frankie posted a photo of themselves together and revealed that they were married. It had been rumored that she had married a fellow prisoner while in prison herself, and that turned out to be Frankie. So two newly released HK45 prisoners are married to one another.
The other four, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam, Roy Tam, Carol Ng, and Tiffany Yuen have not been seen in public or made any public statements since they were presumably released. In their cases, all we have is a shot of a van leaving a prison, the released prisoner presumably inside. Sometimes police on the scene have confirmed the identity of the person being released. In some cases, the person has been confirmed through private messages from someone who has seen the person free.
About two hours after he returned home, Jimmy Sham exited his building and said a few words to reporters waiting outside.
He was asked, “Are you free?” He answered, “I don’t know.” He elaborated: “I’m freer than I was yesterday. This is a change that I’m happy with… But there are still many people suffering, which makes me feel like I can’t be too happy, so there are concerns. As for whether I’m free, that’s something I’d like to know as well.”
On his first day out, Jimmy Sham went to visit Lek Yuen in Sha Tin, the district where he used to be District Councillor. There he was met by many hugs and smiles, reminding that not only he but the other HK45 are much loved by Hong Kongers.
A couple of days after her release, on May 1, Claudia Mo posted the following statement on Facebook.
A few days later, on May 12, she also appeared in public, attending an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong hosted by her husband, Philip Bowring, himself a journalist. The event was a “farewell” talk by David Webb, a long-time investor activist who is dying of cancer.
On August 3, just a few days after their release, Frankie Fung posted a photo of himself and fellow just-released HK45 prisoner Henry Wong in front of Hunter Bookstore, which has frequently been targeted by the regime for harassment and intimidation, along with a brief message, “First books, then badminton.”
When the first four of the HK45 were released at the end of April, exiled political cartoonist Vawongsir posted the following cartoon, which captures the feeling of many Hong Kongers: when our political prisoners exit prison, they go from one small prison to the bigger one, which is Hong Kong.
So far, none of those who have been released have expressed a desire to leave Hong Kong. Claudia Mo’s husband said that they might go to England in the summer to visit their children and grandchildren. On July 9, she posted that she was “(g)oing abroad to see family.” And later in the summer, she posted that she had returned to Hong Kong. This was the first test of whether the released HK45 would be allowed to depart from and return to Hong Kong frequently. Since then, at least two others have done the same, including Henry Wong, who posted publicly about a trip to Taiwan.
Jimmy Sham said, “At this point in time, I don’t have plans to leave Hong Kong. At the end of the day, people who are very important to me who are still in Hong Kong.”
Several months after his release at the end of May 2025, Kinda Li released a new video with his old band, Forward.
On October 27, 2025, ANDY CHUI CHI KIN (徐子見) was released.
When reporters went to Stanley Prison early in the morning to await his release, there was no sign of the kind of commotion of previous releases, with police cordoning off areas and heavily curtained private vans exiting the prison. Then, in the afternoon, reporters camped out outside his residence spotted him. He had been reportedly brought to the hospital the day before. He has an unspecified pre-existing illness and was seen to be walking with a cane. During his imprisonment, his father died and he and his wife got divorced. His mother is 89 years old and he wishes to look after her. Apart from that, when asked, he said briefly he had no plans for his future. Below you can see a photo taken of him outside his residence on the 27th on the left, and, on the right, another photo of him before he went to prison.
ANDREW CHIU KA YIN (趙家賢) was reported on October 28, 2025 by two pro-CCP media outlets to have been granted early release. He wasn’t expected to be released until February 2028. He is the first national security prisoner to be given the customary one-third sentence reduction since national security legislation passed in 2024 stipulated that the Commissioner of Correctional Services must be satisfied that a national security prisoner would pose no threat to national security if granted early release. During the HK47 trial, he plead guilty and testified for the prosecution. CCP-owned Wen Wei Po reported that his early release was based on several factors including his diligence and good behavior in prison; his words and actions showing remorse and self-reproach; and his proactive learning about national development and policies in prison. On December 16, he gave an interview to pro-CCP broadcaster TVB. This was his first appearance in public since his release. He had lost 60 pounds and was nearly unrecognizable from the heavyset person who went to prison in February 2021. He apologized to “the country, Hong Kong and the public” for his transgressions. He reverently quoted Deng Xiaoping as saying democracy has to come in increments, not too quickly. He repeated regime propaganda in asserting that “someone” was behind the 2019 protests and the 2020 pro-democracy primary, in which he was part of the organizing group working under Benny Tai. At least a couple of other high-profile political prisoners have participate in regime propaganda while in prison, but Andrew Chiu is the first to do so after release.
EDDIE CHU HOI-DICK (朱凱迪) was released on January 15, 2026. Curtained vans left Stanley Prison at 5:41 am and he reportedly arrived at his home in Tiu Keng Leng at about 6:20. At least ten police officers were outside his home, attempting to keep waiting reporters at a distance. At least two reporters were stop-and-searched by police and required to give their ID information. The closest anyone got to getting a photo of Eddie is the following. A man suspected of being a plainclothes police officer grabs the back of Eddie’s jacket and “guides” him toward the entrance of the building where he lives. This is the first instance of police having such a heavy presence at the delivery point of an HK45 prisoner.
Later that afternoon, at around 4 pm, The Collective caught a more reassuring image of Eddie, with his widely recognized smile. You can find a video of the encounter here.
And six days after that, Eddie issued his first public statement since January 2022, mostly expressing his gratitude and reassuring everyone he is sound of mind and in good health.
At about 5:51 am on January 26, 2026, two vans exited Stanley Prison. One of the two reportedly was transporting Lester Shum. On January 31, he made online posts confirming his release, including one which includes a short video clip of his reunion with fellow former HK45 political prisoner and pro-democracy leader Eddie Chu, who himself was released from prison on January 15.
Shortly after 5:30 am on January 27, 2026, Fergus Leung was released from Shek Pik Prison and Sam Cheung was released from Stanley Prison, making for four HK45 released in January and 18 total.
About twelve hours later, Fergus posted a photo of himself with his cat, confirming his release, along with a bilingual message in which he apologized to and thanked those who have supported him, said he needed time to focus on his personal life, and expressed his undying love for Hong Kong: “…I will always be a Hongkonger. My heart will still beat for Hong Kong, shouldering all her ups and downs . I hope that I could find a suitable position to contribute to this place in the future.”
On February 3, 2026—three months after his release on October 27, 2023, Andy Chui posted a photo of himself together with his cat along with a message “just letting you know I’m safe.” The photo depicts Andy together with his cat, Cotton Candy, whom he rescued from the street years before. He says that while behind bars, he worried about the cat. Describing the moment of reunion with the cat, he says, "I gazed at him an saw his hesitant eyes, still carefully observing me from the corner just as he had before. At that moment, he felt like a stranger, but I wasn't heartbroken. Knowing that everything was alright was enough. Sometimes, people need to learn to step back and appreciate what they have." At the end of the post, he wishes everyone a good life in the future and concludes with the cryptic statement, “Due to issues with Facebook settings, I cannot upload posts myself. Please understand.”
On February 4, 2026, Carol Ng appeared at the trial of fellow political prisoners Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan. This was the first time she had been seen in public since her reported release on July 28, 2025. Both Chow and Lee appeared happy to see her. They exchanged gestures of greeting and affection from across the courtroom.
On March 28, 2026, Alvin Yeung was reportedly released from prison. Two curtained vans exited the gates of Stanley Prison at about 5:45 in the morning. Beyond that, there has yet to be a sighting of Alvin to confirm his release.
On June 30, 2026, Wu Chi-wai was released from prison. A large number of reporters gathered at his residence at Fung Tak Estate in Wong Tai Sin. They were ID’ed and searched by a large number of police officers. Wu Chi-wai exited a van at 6:13 am and entered the residence, answering reporters’ questions only by saying, Thank you, everyone!” (Video)
Later, the same day, he posted a photo of himself, apparently in an old-school cha chaan teng, with the brief message, “Safely home! Thank you all for your concern.”
On July 22, 2026, The Times reported that Wu Chi-wai had been detained at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. It said he had had his passport confiscated and been told that he could be deported within seven days. He was apparently attempting to enter the UK with the intention to remain. Multiple outlets later reported that Wu had been allowed to enter the UK after having been detained for ten hours. This was said to be due to an “administrative issue” unrelated to his status in Hong Kong. Wu Chi-wai himself has yet to say anything publicly about the matter. It is understood that as of July 23, although he has been allowed to enter the UK, the matter remains unresolved and the threat of deportation remains. If it is confirmed that he does indeed intend to remain in the UK, he would be the first of the 21 of the HK45 so far released from prison to have left Hong Kong to reside abroad. On July 26, AP reported that Wu Chi-wai would, as it stands, be deported from the UK on Wednesday, July 29. Wu himself said that he came to the UK to be reunited with his wife and son, who had moved there and that it was not his intention to apply for asylum. In fact, according to him, he had a return ticket to Hong Kong in November, but this had been changed, not by him, to July 29. UK authorities have not commented on this latest update. Surely, while in the first instance, it is understandable that an immigration officer at the border might have been suspicious of Wu, now that higher-ranking officials are aware of his case, it should have been sorted. Instead, it is worrying that he thinks he’ll be deported on July 29 and his ticket’s been changed. Normally, a Hong Konger entering the UK on a BN(O) passport (as it was initially reported Wu did) has the right to decide after having entered the country to apply for the BN(O) visa scheme. It is unclear why this right was not granted to Wu—perhaps due to his “criminal record”?—or whether he has attempted to apply. At any rate, the situation is worrying, and as it stands, the UK is two days away of forcibly sending someone who has already suffered years of persecution back to the place where he was persecuted. In an interview with BBC Chinese, Wu said, “I never imagined that after five and a half years of imprisonment, arriving here happily to see my family would result in such a terrible ordeal.” By the afternoon of July 27, Wu’s legal team reported that they had received confirmation that Wu was granted a six-month stay in the UK, which is the same as any other Hong Konger entering the UK on a tourist visa. It is said that Members of Parliament pressed authorities on the matter.
On July 3, 2026, Andrew Wan was released from prison. At 5:46 am, two prison vans with heavy curtains drawn exited Stanley Prison, reportedly with Wan in tow. Several hours later, he posted the following photo and message: “Having breakfast with family and friends, a long-awaited reunion. My term is now complete, thank you all for your support and care over the years. Looking forward to the next stage of my life.”
