Hong Kong pro-democracy and gay rights activist Jimmy Sham released after 4 years in prison

Hong Kong’s prominent pro-democracy and LGBTQ+ activist Jimmy Sham was released from prison on Friday after serving over four years  in the city’s  biggest national security case  under a Beijing-imposed law.

Sham’s activism made headlines during 2019 anti-government protests, when he was the convenor of a now-disbanded pro-democracy group that organized some of the biggest peaceful marches that year, including one that drew an estimated 2 million people.

Sham was among 47 activists arrested in 2021 for their roles in an  unofficial primary election . He was sentenced with 44 other activists last year after  judges ruled  that their plans to effect change through the primary would have undermined the government’s authority and create a constitutional crisis. Only two of the original defendants were acquitted.

Even behind bars, Sham continued to  fight for recognition of his same-sex marriage  registered overseas at the city’s top court, which later ruled the government should provide a framework for recognizing same-sex partnerships. It was  a landmark decision  for the city’s LGBTQ+ community.

“I feel happy. No matter whether there’s a change in (my) freedom, I am definitely freer compared to yesterday,” Sham told reporters Friday after he was reunited with his family. “But I also know many people are suffering. This makes me feel I shouldn’t be too happy.”

Asked if police had warned him not to talk to anyone, he said he censored himself on some sensitive questions. Sham also sounded unsure whether he was a free man.

“Maybe tomorrow, you still can see me, I am free. Maybe tomorrow, I will go back to the jail. I don’t know,” he said.

The activist said he has no plans to leave Hong Kong for now. “So what I can do in the future and what I should, and where the red line lies, I still have to figure it out again.”

Sham and three other activists freed on Friday — Kinda Li, Roy Tam and Henry Wong — are the second batch to be reunited with their families, following  the release of four pro-democracy lawmakers  last month. The years of separation have  pained the activists and their relatives.

The case involved democracy advocates  across the spectrum . They include legal scholar Benny Tai, who got a 10-year prison term, and former student leader  Joshua Wong , who has to serve four years and eight months.

Critics said the national security law has effectively crushed the city’s pro-democracy movement, but Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist it brought back stability to the city.

(Except headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff)