Sze Tak-loy 施德來

Sze Tak Loy is a social worker and former chairperson of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood (ADPL; 香港民主民生協進會), served as a Wong Tai Sin District Councillor from 2016 to 2021. [1] Sze was one of the Hong Kong 47 who chose not to plead guilty, which resulted in a comparatively heavier sentence of 6 years and 7 months. [2]

Sze started working at ADPL in 2005 and elected as the Chair in December 2016. [3] He was first elected to the Wong Tai Sin District Council in the 2015 elections and was re-elected in 2019 when the city-wide pro-democracy movement broke out. [4]

In July 2020, Sze participated in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy camp’s primaries for the Legislative Council, running for the camp’s nominations to run for the Kowloon East constituency. On January 6, 2021, Sze 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. He was released on bail on March 15 with a HK$ 100,000 bail and stringent conditions, including reporting to the police station four times a week and handing in all travel documents. [5] Two days later, he resigned from his Chairman role at ADPL but remained serving the Wong Tai Sin District Council. [6]

In July 2021, Sze stepped down from his district councilor role as the government announced plans to recover salaries and allowances from district councillors who failed to meet the new oath-taking requirements. [7] The announcement triggered a wave of resignations from more than 200 district councilors that made of half of the pro-democracy camp. [8]

In the Hong Kong 47 trial, Sze pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. [9] His endorsement of a group agreement known as “Inked Without Regret Declaration” (〈墨落無悔〉聲明), was considered evidence of his active participation in the primary election. [10] Prosecutors argued that these actions demonstrated Sze’s intention to use his electoral mandate to veto government budgets indiscriminately, a stance deemed subversive under the National Security Law. Based on these factors, the court established a starting point of seven years for sentencing. [11] Ultimately, Sze was sentenced to 6 years and 7 months in prison on November 19, 2024. [12]