The case of the human rights defender network Civil Human Rights Front was included in the 2021 and 2022 Secretary-General reports on reprisals, on allegations that it was placed under police investigation, inter alia, for having sent a joint letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, further to which the head of the network, Mr. Figo Hu-Wun Chan, received a formal letter of inquiry about the purpose of the letter. The Government’s reply of 20 August 2021, included in the 2021 Secretary-General report, noted that the organization had allegedly violated the registration requirements and that Mr. Figo Hu Wun Chan had been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment after he had pleaded guilty to “inciting others to knowingly take part in an unauthorized assembly” on 1 October

Civil Human Rights Front publicly announced its disbandment in August 2021. According to information received by OHCHR, Mr. Figo Hu Wun Chan was released from prison in October 2022 after having served his full sentence.

On 28 July 2023, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report. Regarding the Civil Human Rights Front and Mr. Figo Hu-wun Chan, the Government reiterated the information it had provided in its reply to last year’s report (A/HRC/51/47, Annex II, para. 50) noting that the Civil Human Rights Front was suspected of having violated the registration requirement under section 5 of the Societies Ordinance, and that the police had prosecuted Mr. Figo Hu-wun Chan for failing to comply with a request to provide information in violation of section 16(2) of the said Ordinance. It restated that Mr. Chan had pleaded guilty and had been fined 8,000 Hong Kong dollars. The Government also confirmed that Mr. Chan had fully served his prison sentence of 22 months for his involvement in a number of unauthorized assemblies in 2019 and 2020.