I Was Held In Shenzhen For HK Protests: Grandma Wong

An elderly activist who disappeared at the height on anti-government protests last year has resurfaced in Hong Kong after 14 months, saying she had been detained on the mainland.

At a press conference on Saturday, Alexandra Wong – known for waving a British flag during protests – said she was arrested by mainland police at the Huanggang port when she was trying to return to her Shenzhen flat in August last year.

Affectionately known as “Grandma Wong”, the 64-year-old claimed she was held in detention centres for 45 days, where she was repeatedly interrogated by officers about her participation in protests, such as who she demonstrated with and where she got her rally information from.

When her stay in custody was finally over, she said she was forced to renounce her activism in writing, record a video statement saying she was not tortured, and sent on a "patriotic tour" of Shaanxi province.

It was then that she was told she would be released on bail pending trial for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" – a charge commonly used by the mainland to prosecute human rights activists.

When her bail conditions lapsed last month, she was allowed to return to the SAR.

"I have no courage to step into Shenzhen again, at least for now, unless there is a radical change in the political situation," Wong said.

But the activist stressed she will not give up protesting, saying she is willing to go to prison again, but only in Hong Kong.

Wong also urged people to continue to fight for the release of the 12 Hong Kongers, who are being detained in Shenzhen after being reportedly intercepted in mainland waters while they were trying to flee to Taiwan.

"For the young people, I think it is much more terrible than my experience there. I think it would be a very hard time for them," she said. (Additional reporting by AFP)