Shwe Ka-chun, Hong Kong activist, dies

Chiu Ka-chun, a former social worker and Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker who devoted his final years to helping protesters jailed after a crackdown on dissent, died on Friday in Hong Kong. He was 55 years old.

His wife, Kelly Howe, said he died in hospital due to stomach cancer.

As a social worker, civil rights activist, and legislator for a time, Mr. Chiu campaigned for the rights of marginalized people, but his involvement in a protest movement landed him in prison. He later emerged as a critical advocate for prisoners following the national security crackdown that began in late 2019.

Mr. Chiu was born on June 3, 1969 to a working-class family in Hong Kong. He studied social work at Hong Kong Baptist University, and after graduating began his career as a social worker supporting youth. In 2007, he began teaching social work at the university, where he became known for his engaging lectures. He also honed his voice as a commentator, writing newspaper columns analyzing social issues through the lens of philosophy and sociology.

Mr. Shiu early became involved in Civil disobedience movement 2014and Occupying the Center of the Country with Love and Peace, which demanded democratic elections in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory. He mobilized other social workers to participate in protests that blocked traffic in the heart of Hong Kong’s business district. He reached out to people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, or who were homeless, and helped organize dialogues in which they discussed what democracy meant to them.

In 2016, he was elected as a member of Parliament. He focused on social welfare issues such as poverty, homelessness, and conditions in homes for the elderly and people with disabilities.

In 2019, Mr. Shiu He was convicted of public nuisance charges For his role in the Occupy Central movement, he was sentenced to eight months in prison.

“I want to remind those who live in darkness not to become accustomed to the darkness, not to defend the darkness out of habit, and not to mock those who search for the light,” he said outside the courtroom before the sentencing.

Chan Kin Man, a sociology professor who led the Occupy Central movement, remembers sharing a cell with Mr Chiu on the day of their conviction and seeing how his health deteriorated. He said he knew Mr. Chiu suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, and was hospitalized in 2014 during the street occupations.

“I saw him lying in bed, unconscious and vomiting,” Chan said in a phone interview from Taipei, where he now lives.

“As his health deteriorated, he was still involved in many political activities. “I really respected him,” Mr. Chan said.

When Mr. Chiu was behind bars, he filed complaints about prison conditions, even at the risk of making himself a target of the authorities. His efforts led to some marginal change: prisoners were allowed paper fans in the summer heat.

Mr. Chiu’s teaching contract at Baptist University was not renewed after his release from prison. He founded a nonprofit called Wall-fare, focused on helping incarcerated people after the 2019 protests. The organization paired inmates with pen pals to ease their isolation, and helped provide them with prison-approved toiletries and snacks.

Wall Fare was forced to close in 2021, as activity became more dangerous. Mr. Chiu avoided reporters’ questions about the reason for the closure and what it would mean for the prisoners. “Tears are our common language,” he said.

In the years that followed, he wrote several books about the state of Hong Kong’s prisons and the mental damage of imprisonment, drawing from his own experience. He continued to post updates on social media, relaying excerpts from his visits to former lawmakers and activists who were in prison.

In November, A filming He revealed himself in a hospital bed wearing a mortar board, saying he had to miss his graduation from a master’s degree program in Christian studies for health reasons. He later wrote that he was diagnosed with cancer, and that part of his stomach was removed.

In his final weeks, he published articles entitled “Reflections from a Person Without a Stomach.” He noted wryly that tube feeding was difficult for someone like him who loved food. He also shared his thoughts on suffering.

He added: “People who are resilient are able to maintain a positive attitude and develop coping strategies despite the pain of illness, regulate their emotions, stay positive, and learn to live as normally and normally as possible.” books In mid-November.

“However, I also need to add a warning: My body is in bad shape, and I need space to rest. I will stop if I have to; please give me.”