Hong Kong activist Nathan Law says he was denied entry to Singapore

A pro-democracy activist who fled China’s crackdown on Hong Kong has been denied entry to Singapore.

Former lawmaker Nathan Law, who left Hong Kong in 2020, claimed he was detained and later taken into custody in the US after arriving in Singapore on Saturday to attend a “closed-door, invitation-only event.”

Law, who is wanted by Hong Kong authorities under the territory’s national security law, claimed he spent four hours detained at the border before being informed that he had been denied entry.

Law, who spends about 14 hours in Singapore before being deported to San Francisco, claimed he was given no justification for the refusal.

“I was legitimately anticipating an entry because I was given a visa.” Although I’m not sure whether external forces, such as the PRC, are directly or indirectly involved in the decision to deny entry, Law told Al Jazeera, referring to the abbreviation for China’s national identity, the People’s Republic of China.

The Singaporean government’s Ministry of Home Affairs said the activist’s entry would not have been in the country’s national interests in a statement that referenced Law’s claim that Hong Kong authorities were looking into him for allegedly violating national security.

At the point of entry, a visa holder is still subject to additional checks. According to a ministry spokesman, that is what happened to Nathan Law.

The news that Law had been denied entry was first reported by The Financial Times.

Prior to the introduction of a comprehensive national security law in Hong Kong in 2020, Law, a cofounder of the political party Demosisto, was one of the most well-known pro-democracy campaigners.

Since leaving Hong Kong, Law has remained vocal critic of Beijing and a vocal supporter of political rights there.

In 2023, Hong Kong authorities issued a warrant for Law’s arrest and seven other activists, citing provisions in the national security law that permit the prosecution of acts committed abroad.

Hong Kong, which was established after widespread anti-government demonstrations that started as peaceful demonstrations before becoming violent clashes between masked protesters and police, has dramatically curtailed dissent.

Authorities have effectively outlawed public commemorations of politically sensitive events, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, and have shut down opposition parties in the city’s legislature since 2020.