Fergus Leung Fong-wai 梁晃維

Fergus Leung Fong-wai was elected as a Central and Western District Councillor from 2019 to 2021 at the age of 23. [1] Before joining the local elections, he studied biomedicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where he served as the external affairs secretary of the student union from 2017-2018, and founded the HKU Anti-Extradition Bill Concern Group (香港大學反送中關注組). [2] Leung developed an interest in politics in his last year in high school when he participated in the Umbrella Movement while preparing for the university entrance examinations. [3]

Leung was elected to the Central and Western District Council as an independent and a first-time candidate in the 2019 District Council Elections, in which the pro-democracy camp drew a landslide victory. He defeated a pro-Beijing candidate and represented the Kwun Lung constituency, a pro-establishment stronghold since 2007. [4]

In July 2020, Leung participated in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy camp’s primaries for the Legislative Council. He and two other candidates initiated the “Inked Without Regret Declaration” (〈墨落無悔 堅定抗爭〉聲明), a document voluntarily signed by nearly 40 of the primary election candidates to affirm their commitment to abide by the results and the action plan to achieve the “Five Demands” once elected. [5] As a result, he garnered 14,743 votes — 16.3% of the electorate — and secured a nomination for the upcoming legislative elections. [6] However, on Jul. 30, 2020, the Hong Kong government disqualified the nominations of Leung and 11 other pro-democracy candidates, citing questions on his previous speech including calls for sanctions by foreign countries and opposition toward the National Security Law. [7]

On Jan. 6, 2021, Leung was among over 50 pro-democracy figures arrested under Hong Kong’s National Security Law for participating in or organizing the election. 47 of them were officially charged with conspiracy to commit subversion on Feb. 28, 2021. [8] In May 2021, while still in detention, he resigned from his position as a District Councillor, believing that he could not effectively fulfill his duties. [9]

Leung pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. On Nov. 19, 2024, the court ruled that Leung was considered an active participant in the primary election, hence a starting point for sentencing at eight years. Given mitigating factors, including his guilty plea and his service to the community as a District Councillor, he was ultimately sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in prison. [10]