Pro-democracy activist Nathan Law, a leading figure in Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement and a vocal critic of Beijing’s tightening grip on the city, found himself at the center of a new diplomatic flashpoint this past weekend. Law, who has been living in exile since 2020, was denied entry to Singapore after landing at Changi Airport. According to Financial Times and Hong Kong Free Press, Law was detained by immigration authorities for four hours, questioned, and then promptly sent back to San Francisco. The Singaporean government later stated that his presence was not in the city-state’s "national interests."
Law’s attempted visit was not a spur-of-the-moment trip. Three weeks prior, he had received a Singapore visa to attend a closed-door, invitation-only event. Yet, as Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs clarified on Monday, “A visa holder is still subject to further checks at point of entry into the country. That is what happened with Nathan Law.” The ministry’s statement, reported by Hong Kong Free Press, underscored the discretionary power authorities retain at the border, regardless of prior visa approval.
Law, who holds a British refugee passport, has been on the run since Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong in 2020. In 2023, Hong Kong police issued warrants for Law and seven other activists living abroad, offering bounties of 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $128,000) for information leading to their arrest. The charges against Law stem from his prominent role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and his outspoken criticism of both Beijing and the local government.
Singapore’s decision to deny Law entry has sparked international debate about the city-state’s balancing act between powerful global players. Singapore maintains an extradition treaty with Hong Kong, but it stopped short of detaining Law for extradition. Instead, as barrister and government adviser Ronny Tong wrote on Facebook, Singapore’s refusal on “national interests” grounds represents a political middle ground. According to Tong, this approach allows Singapore to avoid direct confrontation with the UK and US—both of whom have granted refuge to Hong Kong dissidents—while also not openly defying China and Hong Kong. Tong cited the United Nations’ Model Treaty on Extradition, noting that political prosecutions are typically excluded from extradition agreements, and described Singapore’s stance as preferable to countries that selectively invoke international guidelines.
When pressed at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee sidestepped questions about whether his administration had requested Singapore to extradite Law. Instead, Lee doubled down on his government’s position: “No country should harbour criminals and the Hong Kong government will strictly enforce the law,” he said, as reported by Hong Kong Free Press. Lee added, “Nathan Law is suspected of committing offences endangering national security. He is the subject of a court warrant. He is a specified absconder under national security legislation. We will hold this person to account. We will take all measures possible as we go after those criminals.”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also weighed in, with spokesperson Guo Jiakun stating at a press conference, “Each country has the right to independently manage immigration-related matters. The individual you referred to is an anti-China destabiliser who is wanted by Hong Kong police in accordance with the law.”
The saga unfolded against a backdrop of mounting concerns about human rights and political freedoms in Hong Kong. According to a recent report by the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, more than 1,900 people have been political prisoners in the city since 2019, out of an average prison population of just over 8,000. The 91-page report, which included interviews with 17 former inmates, highlighted systemic abuses inside Hong Kong’s prisons. These included the routine use of solitary confinement, punitive psychiatric detention, chronic medical neglect, and squalid living conditions. Particularly alarming were accounts of physical and sexual abuse in juvenile prisons, with the use of so-called “B-boys” (inmate orderlies) to beat and assault other inmates. One former inmate recounted, “Sexual violence happens all the time.” Another described a case where a prisoner, suffering from deteriorating health, was ignored by guards until he fell into a coma—and died en route to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government has ramped up its push for “patriotic education” in schools. As Hong Kong Free Press reports, educational authorities now require national security oversight for all school activities organized by external groups, with background checks on organizers and guests to prevent “political propaganda.” Secretary for Education Christine Choi recently described schools as the “frontline” in preventing “soft resistance” and “hostile forces from infiltrating schools.” These measures are part of the new school year’s guidelines and reflect the government’s broader campaign to reshape the city’s educational landscape.
On the legislative front, Hong Kong’s opposition-free Legislative Council (LegCo) made headlines by rejecting a bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples. Seventy-one of 89 members voted against the Registration of Same-Sex Partnerships Bill, which would have established a registry for couples married or in civil partnerships abroad. The bill’s defeat marks the first time LegCo has voted down a government-approved measure since Beijing imposed a “patriots-only” elections framework in 2021. Lawmaker Maggie Chan commented, “When the council votes down the bill, it will not give rise to a constitutional crisis. Instead, it will embody the checks and balances between the legislature and the administration. It will also show that the council is not a rubber stamp.”
The rejection of the bill had immediate ripple effects. Hong Kong’s largest LGBTQ event, Pink Dot, announced it would hold an online concert in November instead of its annual outdoor carnival. Organizers cited the sudden unavailability of their usual venue, with no explanation provided, and a lack of suitable alternatives. The short notice forced the decision to move the event online, reflecting the increasingly constrained space for LGBTQ advocacy in the city.
Cultural expression has also come under scrutiny. Playwright Candace Chong accused authorities of blacklisting her due to her politically sensitive works, including a 2009 play referencing the Tiananmen Square crackdown. In a series of social media posts, Chong detailed delayed funding approvals, restrictions on promotional materials, and even being barred from taking a curtain call at her alma mater. “I went on the streets and wrote a play about June Fourth during Hong Kong’s freest years—that alone marked me,” she wrote.
Despite the tightening environment, some in Hong Kong continue to commemorate the city’s pro-democracy legacy. On Sunday, police deployed officers in Admiralty as a small group gathered to mark the 11th anniversary of the Umbrella Movement. Activist Lui Yuk-lin held a brief vigil, while Italian priest Franco Mella displayed battery-powered lights and offered prayers near a site where police had once fired tear gas at demonstrators. “It is important to remember because it was a [time]—a series of sit-ins—for Hong Kong people to express themselves and just ask for more democracy, freedom and these core values,” Mella told Hong Kong Free Press.
The episode involving Nathan Law’s denied entry to Singapore has become a microcosm of the broader tensions surrounding Hong Kong’s political future, international diplomacy, and the shrinking space for dissent. With authorities on all sides holding firm, the fate of activists like Law—and the values they represent—remains uncertain, but the world is still watching closely.