 |
| Chow Hang-tung, an activist barrister, speaks to reporters outside a court in Hong Kong, in this May 6, 2021, file photo. Chow has been selected as the winner of this year's Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. AP-Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
Chow Hang-tung, a prominent pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, was chosen as the winner of this year's Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.
Chow, 38, who is in prison now after being convicted of inciting and taking part in arranging an unlawful assembly ― a commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre ― has become a symbolic figure for everyone who is longing for democracy, a judging committee said at the May 18 Memorial Foundation office in Gwangju, Tuesday.
On behalf of Chow, her representative is expected to receive the award at the ceremony on May 18, Korea's anniversary of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city.
"Chow Hang-tung's struggle against the Hong Kong government's undemocratic, inhumane treatment has become the source of courage and hope for human rights advocates and those longing for democracy around the world, even when she is in custody," said Moon Hee-sang, head of the judging panel and former speaker of the National Assembly.
Between 2021 and 2022, Chow was among the leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements, which organized Hong Kong's annual June 4 candlelight vigil for victims of the Beijing crackdown despite the newly enacted national security law.
The group disbanded in September 2021 after authorities arrested several senior members of the group, including Chow, on charges of violating that law, under which Beijing can exert broad power to crack down on a variety of political crimes.
In addition to prison sentences for her role in the unlawful assembly, Chow faces a separate, graver charge of subverting state power through the group.
The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights was established in 2000 to mark the spirit of the Korean movement for democracy and honor those who fight for human rights and peace. Previous winners include Cynthia Maung, a Burmese doctor and founder of Mae Tao Clinic which has been providing free healthcare services for internally displaced people and migrant workers, and Arnon Nampa, a Thai human rights lawyer and vocal critic of the country's monarchy.
![[INTERVIEW] Virtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/bcc387606cf7451c94f51a5978960c9f.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
