Nathan Law facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nathan Law
羅冠聰
Law in 2017
Chairman of Demosistō
In office 10 April 2016 – 16 May 2018
Deputy	Oscar Lai Tiffany Yuen
Leader	Joshua Wong
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Ivan Lam
Member of Legislative Council
In office 1 October 2016 – 14 July 2017
Preceded by	Jasper Tsang
Succeeded by	Au Nok-hin
Constituency	Hong Kong Island
58th Secretary General of Hong Kong Federation of Students
In office 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016
Preceded by	Alex Chow
Succeeded by	Chan Man-hei
Personal details
Born	Luo Guancong (罗冠聪) (1993-07-13) 13 July 1993 (age 32) Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Political party	Demosistō (2016–2020)
Education	Lingnan University (BA) Yale University (MA)
Occupation	Politician
Known for	2014 Hong Kong protests Umbrella Movement
Signature
Nathan Law Traditional Chinese 羅冠聰 Simplified Chinese 罗冠聪 Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Luó Guàncōng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lòh Gunchūng Jyutping Lo4 Gun3 Cung1

Nathan Law Kwun-chung (Chinese: 羅冠聰; born 13 July 1993) is a well-known activist and politician from Hong Kong. He became famous as a student leader. He was the head of the Lingnan University Students' Union and a leader in the Hong Kong Federation of Students.

Nathan Law was one of the main student leaders during the 79-day Umbrella Movement in 2014. This was a big protest for more democracy in Hong Kong. After these protests, he helped start a new political group called Demosistō.

In 2016, when he was just 23, Nathan Law was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. This made him the youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong's history. However, he was later removed from his position in 2017.

In 2020, after a new security law was put in place, Nathan Law left Hong Kong. He moved to London and was later given political asylum there. Hong Kong police have since issued a warrant for his arrest.

Early Life and Education

Nathan Law was born on 13 July 1993, in Shenzhen, China. He moved to Hong Kong with his mother when he was about six years old. His mother raised him and his siblings.

He went to HKFEW Wong Cho Bau Secondary School. Later, he studied Cultural Studies at Lingnan University. In 2019, he received a scholarship to study at Yale University in the United States. He earned a master's degree in East Asian Studies there a year later.

Student Activism

Nathan Law speaking to protesters during the 2014 protests.

Nathan Law was very active in student movements. He took part in a big dock strike in Hong Kong in 2013. He became a leader in the Lingnan University Students' Union. He also joined the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS).

In September 2014, HKFS and another student group called Scholarism organized a class boycott. This was to protest Beijing's decisions about how Hong Kong's leaders would be chosen. After the boycott, students protested at the Civic Square. This led to the 79-day Occupy protest, also known as the Umbrella Movement.

During these protests, Nathan Law became one of the key student leaders. He was one of five student representatives who had a televised debate with government officials in October 2014. He also tried to travel to Beijing with other student leaders to share their demands. However, their travel permits were taken away. After the protests, he was arrested with other student leaders.

After the Umbrella Movement, Nathan Law became the secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. He served in this role from 2015 to 2016. During his time, some student unions left the HKFS. They felt the federation had not been transparent enough during the protests.

Political Career

Becoming a Lawmaker

In April 2016, Nathan Law and other leaders from the Umbrella Revolution, like Joshua Wong Chi-fung, started a new political party. This party was called Demosistō. Their goal was to fight for Hong Kong people's right to decide their own future. Nathan Law became the first chairman of this new party.

He decided to run in the 2016 Hong Kong legislative election. He wanted to represent the Hong Kong Island area. Nathan Law received a lot of votes, making him one of the top candidates. He was elected as a lawmaker. At 23, he was the youngest person ever to join Hong Kong's Legislative Council.

Disqualification from Office

When Nathan Law took his oath as a lawmaker, he and others used the ceremony to protest. He said that the oath was being used as a "political tool." He also changed his tone on a word in the oath, making it sound like a question.

Even though his oath was accepted at first, it caused a lot of debate. The Hong Kong government challenged his oath in court. In November 2016, China's top lawmaking body made a decision about how oaths should be taken. Because of this, Nathan Law and three other pro-democracy lawmakers were removed from the Legislative Council on 14 July 2017.

Time in Prison

(L to R) Joshua Wong and Nathan Law after being released on bail in 2017.

On 17 August 2017, Nathan Law, along with Joshua Wong and Alex Chow, were sent to prison. This was for their part in storming the Civic Square in 2014. They were sentenced to six to eight months. This sentence would also stop them from running for public office for five years. Nathan Law was sent to a prison on Lantau Island.

On 24 October 2017, Nathan Law and Joshua Wong were released on bail. Alex Chow chose not to appeal his sentence. Law and Wong had to live at their Hong Kong homes and report to the police weekly.

On 6 February 2018, a higher court confirmed their convictions. However, it overturned their prison sentences. This meant they were no longer required to serve jail time for that specific case.

Special Recognition

In February 2018, a group of US lawmakers nominated Nathan Law, Joshua Wong, Alex Chow, and the entire Umbrella Movement for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. This was for their peaceful efforts to bring political change to Hong Kong.

In 2020, Nathan Law was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, described him as a brave person representing a generation that the Chinese Communist Party wanted to silence.

Life in Exile

Nathan Law with democracy activist Luke de Pulford in London in 2020.

Nathan Law meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London in July 2020.

On 30 June 2020, a new national security law was put in place in Hong Kong. Hours later, Nathan Law and other Demosistō leaders resigned from their positions, and the party broke up. On 2 July, he announced that he had left Hong Kong for his safety. He encouraged people around the world to keep supporting Hong Kong protesters. He later confirmed he was in London.

In July 2020, Nathan Law met with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in London. They talked about the situation in Hong Kong.

On 3 July 2020, he spoke to the US Congress through a video call. He asked for action to be taken against China and Hong Kong for the new security law.

On 7 April 2021, Nathan Law announced that he had been granted asylum in the United Kingdom. This means the UK government agreed to protect him. China's Foreign Ministry criticized the UK for this decision.

In July 2023, Hong Kong police issued a wanted list for eight overseas activists, including Nathan Law. They offered a reward for information leading to their capture. After this, Nathan Law's parents and brother in Hong Kong were questioned by the police. They were released the same day.

In June 2024, the Hong Kong government took away Nathan Law's passport. This was done using new powers under a national security law.

See also

In Spanish: Nathan Law para niños

• United States sanctions against China
• List of people granted asylum