We wish you peace and well-being in the year ahead.
As we step into 2026, we would like to take a moment to look back at Amnesty International’s work on Hong Kong throughout 2025. Alongside the good news of the launch of the Hong Kong Overseas Section in April 2025, we would also like to share several key areas of our work over the past year. These include the ongoing documentation and research of human rights violations in Hong Kong; advocacy for the rights of same-sex couples; raising awareness about China’s transnational repression overseas; and the continued efforts of Amnesty sections around the world to build solidarity for human rights in Hong Kong within their local communities.
The Launch of Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people across over 150 countries and territories. For many years, we have closely monitored the human rights situation in Hong Kong and worked to bring about change. In 2021, amid intensifying political pressure, Amnesty International made the difficult decision to close its former Hong Kong section.
In April last year, the Hong Kong Overseas Section was officially launched. Working alongside Amnesty sections around the world, we continue to document and research human rights developments in Hong Kong, report on the situation to the international community, and monitor and seek accountability for human rights violations, while also carrying out human rights education for Hongkongers around the world.
Documentation and Research of Human Rights Violations in Hong Kong
Since the implementation of the National Security Law and Article 23 of the Basic Law, Amnesty International has continuously monitored and documented their impact on civil society and human rights in Hong Kong, regularly publishing research and analysis.
In a report released in 2025, we analysed national security cases between June 2020 and May 2025. Our findings showed that nearly 90% of defendants in cases that proceeded to prosecution were denied bail, with an average pre-trial detention period of 11 months. According to international standards, over 80% of those convicted should be considered wrongfully convicted.
Throughout 2025, we also closely followed the trials of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong Alliance case, and the “47 democrats” case, as well as the broader restrictions on freedom of expression in Hong Kong. During the same period, we issued commentaries on a range of current human rights issues, including the Same-sex Partnership Registration Bill affecting LGBTI rights, and amendments to the Prison Rules affecting prisoners’ rights.
Over the past year, Amnesty International’s analysis of Hong Kong’s human rights situation was cited in more than 2,500 local and international media reports. Through credible and impartial research, we aim to counter distorted narratives locally and ensure that the international community remains informed and has access to an accurate understanding of human rights developments in Hong Kong.
Advocating for the Rights of Same-Sex Couples in Hong Kong
On 5 September 2023, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal issued a partial victory for LGBTI advocate Jimmy Sham, ruling that the Hong Kong government has a positive obligation to create an alternative framework to legally recognise same-sex relationships and protect associated rights. The court set a two-year deadline, requiring the government to establish this legal framework by October 2025.
In July 2025, the Hong Kong government introduced the Same-sex Partnership Registration Bill. However, the bill offered only minimal protections—denying same-sex couples the right to legally enter into partnerships in Hong Kong and limiting their rights to areas such as medical decisions and post-death arrangements.
In response, the Hong Kong Overseas Section made a submission to the government and, prior to the bill’s second reading, co-signed a joint letter with 30 LGBTI rights groups from across Asia calling on the authorities to establish a legal framework that fully recognizes and protects same-sex partnerships. After the bill was voted down in the Legislative Council, the section launched a global petition and submitted over 9,000 signatures from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sweden, Canada, and beyond—demonstrating widespread solidarity with same-sex couples in Hong Kong and once again urging the government to introduce a revised bill without delay.
Although the government has yet to propose a new bill following its rejection, Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas has continued its human rights education work on LGBTI issues. This includes examining the unequal treatment faced by same-sex couples in Hong Kong through the lens of international human rights standards, and drawing lessons from equality movements across Asia. Amnesty International Taiwan also published a special issue, Rainbow Trajectories, documenting the development and current state of LGBTI rights across 17 places in East Asia, and organised an online webinar.
We believe that change does not stop at legislation alone. Every mobilisation, every advocacy effort, and every action is a vital opportunity to move society forward. Even as legislative progress remains stalled, we will continue to promote rights-based discussions and stand with local LGBTI communities moving forward.
Raising Awareness About China’s Transnational Repression Overseas
In 2022, Amnesty International published the report “On my campus, I am afraid”: China’s targeting of overseas students stifles rights, documenting how Chinese authorities seek to silence overseas Chinese and Hong Kong students through harassment, intimidation, and surveillance —both for participating in protests and for online activities—to restrict their engagement with “sensitive” or political issues.
In February 2025, Amnesty International UK made a formal submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ Transnational Repression Inquiry. The submission highlighted the patterns and impacts of transnational repression targeting Hong Kong diaspora and Chinese international students residing in the UK, and proposed policy recommendations. The submission drew on Amnesty’s research as well as first-hand accounts from Hong Kong activists and civil society groups based in the UK.
Bringing Hong Kong’s Story to the World and Building Solidarity
Throughout 2025, Amnesty International sections around the world organised a wide range of activities to raise awareness of Hong Kong issues in their local communities, connect with Hongkongers overseas, and build solidarity for human rights in Hong Kong.
Over the past year, the Hong Kong Overseas Section collaborated with the UK Hong Kong Film Festival to host online screenings showcasing works by Hong Kong directors, exploring themes such as social movements, migration, incarceration, and LGBTI rights. It also hosted two screenings in San Francisco and the Bay Area to mark the 10th anniversary of Ten Years, bringing together Hongkongers to reflect on the city’s political developments and its future.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Section organised touring play readings in three cities to deepen public understanding of imprisonment and diaspora experiences faced by Hongkongers today. The Japan Section hosted a photography exhibition related to Hong Kong’s social movements, as well as a screening of Love in the Time of Revolution.
Toward the end of 2025, in response to developments in the Jimmy Lai and Hong Kong Alliance cases, as well as the fatal fire in Hong Kong, Amnesty sections worldwide also took action. In November, Canada Section’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Chapter organised a march on the second day of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, calling for Jimmy Lai’s release. Taiwan Section, together with the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and Hong Kong Outlanders, held an action in Taipei calling for the release of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung. In December, Amnesty International co-organised a memorial event in Tainan with local civil society organisations to commemorate the Hong Kong fire victims.
Looking back on 2025, a great deal has happened in Hong Kong. While it has not always been possible to respond to every development, our small team has done its best to take action wherever we could. In 2026, Amnesty International will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong.
If you would like to support our work, please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads (@AmnestyHKO), or share our work with friends who may be interested, so that more people can learn about this newly launched section and join us in defending human rights in Hong Kong.
Stay tuned!
The Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas Team