I first heard a scream while I was getting my bed ready in the hospital at Lychkok Prison in Hong Kong.
The sound came from underneath the stairwell, an area known to lack surveillance cameras.
Several security guards from the correctional services department were yelling at inmates.
Then, out of nowhere, the distinct sounds of punches and slaps echoed through the corridor, and I instinctively shouted.
Fear gripped me. I stood there, paralyzed, unsure of how to step in without assistance. The attack dragged on for minutes before it finally quieted.
A little while later, a guard blocked the door with a blue screen.
I went back to my cell, and soon after, a victim stumbled by, hunched over and bloodied.
One of the prisoners quickly pulled me away from the door, whispered something in my ear, and then disappeared.
I was in prison, the only American labeled as part of Hong Kong’s crackdown on political freedoms.
After being arrested in 2019—under accusations of interrupting two teenagers at a Metro station—and then convicted in 2021 during a politically charged show trial, I found myself behind bars. It all felt like retaliation against the U.S. for its actions towards Hong Kong officials.
Two months post-arrest, I was released but prohibited from leaving the city. I continued to voice my criticisms of the Hong Kong government and its injustices.
Months later, the Court of Appeals sent me back to prison, and that evening in February 2022, I became a witness to another violent incident involving an inmate.
This was not an isolated occurrence.
In reports I later collaborated on, titled “We’ve Been Made to Suffer: Systemic Abuse and Political Control within Hong Kong Prisons,” researcher Francis Hui and I highlighted disturbing findings regarding prisoner treatment.
Prisoners face severe human rights violations throughout the system, including physical and sexual violence, medical neglect, and conditions that are downright shocking.
Guards often take inmates to unmonitored areas to physically assault them. In juvenile facilities, staff routinely abuse young inmates, subjecting them to severe physical and sexual attacks.
Health conditions are also dire; inmates suffer from untreated seizures, fractures, and severe mental health issues. Cells are infested with rodents, creating unsanitary conditions as temperatures can soar above 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
One particular case involves Condemadi, a prisoner in Guinea. Despite showing signs of serious mental and physical decline, he received no treatment. His legs swelled, and he stopped eating and speaking. His fellow inmates pleaded with guards to assist him, but the guards insisted he must request help himself.
Eventually, he collapsed. It was only after that that the guards chose to act, but he died on the way to the hospital.
Another former inmate recounted being left alone in a solitary confinement cell overwhelmed with mice and backed-up toilets. He described how pests scuttled across the floor at night, and that he felt the guards deliberately created inhospitable living conditions as punishment.
This also includes instances of psychiatric detention being misused as a form of punishment. One political prisoner who filed a complaint regarding conditions vanished for days, only to reappear pale and restrained, having gone through three days in solitary confinement without any psychiatric care.
In juvenile detention, staff rely heavily on what are dubbed “B-Boys,” who regularly abuse new arrivals, both physically and sexually, often out of the sight of cameras, while guards simply ignore it.
One activist recalled being forced to do 1,000 squats as punishment, making her immobilized for days. Others reported ongoing sexual assaults, with security personnel either complicit or indifferent.
The conditions being reported blatantly violate UN standards for humane prisoner treatment, and it seems Hong Kong has sanctioned this behavior.
With the UN General Assembly meeting in New York this week, it’s a critical time for member states, often criticized for being ineffective.
Prisoners absolutely lack a voice. Those who dare to complain face harsher isolation or psychiatric detention.
It’s telling that from 2020 to 2024, the government’s investigation unit found only 1.23% of complaints to be valid. When a violation is identified, a committee of senior correctional officers can easily overturn it, ensuring the system protects itself rather than the inmates.
Political prisoners endure even more severe targeting and abuse. Since 2019, over 1,900 Hong Kong activists have been imprisoned, with approximately 732 individuals currently incarcerated.
They face daily surveillance, are denied letters and visits, and often remain isolated for several months on end. Political prisoners are coerced into participating in programs like Project Pass.
Under Hong Kong’s own prison policies, solitary confinement is meant to be capped at 28 days. Nonetheless, authorities frequently sidestep this by making political prisoners “request” their removal from these conditions, effectively compelling them to accept additional punishment.
In 2020, less than 25% of those subjected to isolation exceeded a month, but by 2024, this figure nearly doubled to 42%.
Notable democratic activists, including media tycoon Jimmy Lye and veteran MP Leon Kwok Han, have faced prolonged periods of segregation.
These tactics serve not just to punish political dissenters but also to erase their political identities and replace them with a enforced loyalty to the ruling party while undermining the push for democracy.
I spent less than four months behind bars, but that experience wounded me and changed my life significantly.
I now struggle with PTSD symptoms, including anxiety and social withdrawal. Even today, more than three years since my last imprisonment, my identity—both personal and professional—has been reshaped by those experiences.
But many detainees, particularly the almost 1,942 political prisoners arrested since 2019, have borne these conditions for years, not months. If they survive their sentences, they will likely emerge with deep psychological scars and physical ailments.
This suffering is a direct outcome of the choices made by Hong Kong authorities and must come to an end.
Hong Kong’s leaders seem to hope the world will forget about the oppressive crackdowns on freedom, with media outlets shut down and journalists imprisoned.
Officials, as well as some Western business leaders, want to pretend all is well in a city where lawyers, politicians, activists, and students are facing horrific prison conditions, while still trying to position the locale as a reputable global financial hub.
There is abuse occurring, and those advocating for human rights need to ensure that Hong Kong’s leaders are not allowed to silence critics and bury their oppression behind prison walls.
The city’s government is unlikely to take action without significant pressure, which it is clearly subordinate to an oppressive police force.
Democratic nations and multilateral organizations must demand reforms, including international oversight of prison conditions.
Trade and investment discussions should also hinge on clear standards regarding access to prisons and humane treatment for inmates.
It’s also important to acknowledge that many governments calling for action face their own issues with inadequate prison systems.
However, domestic groups in those nations can still push for organized reform through means like elections.
In Hong Kong, where free speech and fair elections are virtually non-existent, the populace lacks such privileges.
The upcoming UN Conference presents a valuable opportunity for governments to bring attention to these alarming findings regarding human rights.
Concerns can be amplified as global media focuses on the General Assembly.
While a solution through the General Assembly seems unlikely due to pre-set agendas and China’s influence, this occasion could be leveraged to shine a light on the dire conditions in Hong Kong’s prisons and for political detainees during speeches and events.
These early efforts can establish a foundation for more formal actions by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the working group focused on arbitrary detention, and the Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Almost three years ago, the High Commissioner raised alarm about the treatment of the Uyghur population in China’s detention facilities.
Similar investigations and reports are not just warranted but urgently needed for Hong Kong.
