Agnes Chow: Fugitive activist says Hong Kong is now a 'place of fear'

Agnes Chow, a pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong, has described her home city as a 'place full of fear'. She recently absconded, or ran away, from Hong Kong and is currently residing in Toronto, Canada. She was under investigation for 'collusion with foreign forces', but was granted permission to pursue her studies in Canada. Now, she is considered a fugitive, a person who has escaped from custody or is hiding to avoid the law. She informed the BBC that she has no intention of returning to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong authorities have declared that they will 'spare no effort' in pursuing her for the rest of her life if she does not surrender herself.

The intense scrutiny from the Chinese authorities in recent years has severely affected Agnes Chow's mental health. She revealed that she frequently experiences panic attacks. She also faced difficulties in securing employment and carrying out routine activities such as opening a bank account. She posed a question to the BBC, 'How can I live for another 10, 20, 30 years under such control? ' Agnes Chow was a key figure in the Hong Kong pro-democracy group Demosisto, alongside fellow activists Nathan Law and Joshua Wong. She played a leading role in large-scale anti-government protests that took place in 2012, 2014 and 2019.

In 2020, she was incarcerated, or put in jail, for participating in a protest outside the Hong Kong police headquarters. She was subsequently released in 2021. On Sunday, she announced on social media that she was absconding and would not return to the territory. She departed for Toronto in mid-September after receiving permission to pursue a master's degree there, on the condition that she would return to Hong Kong to report to the police during school breaks. She disclosed to the BBC that she made the decision to abscond in November. She had already purchased a flight ticket to Hong Kong the previous month, but fears of being arrested or denied re-entry to Canada began to surface.