Correctional Services Department Criticizes New York Post Article

10/9/2025 17:45

Correctional Services Commissioner Wong Kwok-hing sent a letter to the New York Post today, strongly refuting a commentary published on September 7th, which described Hong Kong prisons as "barbaric and filthy."



The author of the article claimed to be a "former American political prisoner in Hong Kong" arrested during the 2019 anti-extradition bill protests. In the letter, Wong Kwok-hing stated that the article's accusations against the operations of the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department were completely false and unfounded, and constituted malicious defamation of the department.



Wong Kwok-hing stated that there are no so-called "political prisoners" in Hong Kong, and that all prisoners are treated equally, without discrimination based on their background, political views, or the nature of their crimes. The Correctional Services Department adheres to the principles of fairness and professionalism in all its operations.



According to court records, the author of the article, a former lawyer at a foreign bank in Hong Kong, was arrested in Causeway Bay MTR station in December 2019. He attacked an off-duty police officer who was pursuing a man who had jumped a power switch. In 2021, he was convicted of assaulting a police officer and sentenced to four months and two weeks in prison. In February 2022, he lost his appeal and began serving his sentence immediately.