Ex-opposition lawmaker Wu Chi-wai released after serving time for subversion

A former Hong Kong lawmaker who previously headed the city’s largest, now-defunct opposition party has been released from prison after completing his sentence in a landmark subversion case.

He boarded a seven-seater car which took him to Fung Tak Estate in Diamond Hill. Dressed in a white shirt, he alighted with two bags of belongings and did not take questions from waiting journalists.

“Thank you, everyone,” he said, smiling.

Wu, now 63, had been remanded in custody since March 2021 after he was charged alongside other opposition activists for their role in an unofficial Legislative Council primary which was deemed subversive to authorities.

He was among 45 former politicians and activists convicted of conspiracy to subvert state power and sentenced under the national security law for their involvement in the 2020 primary. Two others were acquitted in the trial.