Hong Kong Now Has Its Own Political Prisoners

A harsh National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in mid-2020 brought with it the feared Chinese Communist Party tradition of jailing political prisoners. With more than 200 of the once-freewheeling city's pro-democracy figures in some form of custody, a local media outlet offered basic how-to advice on writing to Hong Kong inmates, including guidance on finding prisoners of conscience and a warning not to include glitter, gifts or "contents which mention illegal activities." Not long ago, Hong Kong's pro-democracy community ran annual Christmas card writing campaigns to cheer up imprisoned Chinese dissidents and human rights lawyers.