John Clancey

Political Prisoner

John Clancey

Age at Arrest: 79

Former chairman, Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian Legal Resource Center

John Clancey is a veteran activist, US citizen and long-time resident of Hong Kong. Clancey was admitted to practice as a solicitor in the city in 1997 and worked for a law firm co-founded by Albert Ho and partners. Clancey is also a founding member of the Executive Committee of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group.

Clancey was arrested on suspicion of subversion under the National Security Law in January 2021 due to his participation in the “35+” unofficial primary elections in July 2020, during which he served as the treasurer for the political group Power for Democracy. In an interview with Stand News, Clancey said, “History is changed when people don’t give up.” Clancey’s arrest made him the first US citizen to be arrested and held under the National Security Law. (Photo: Stand News)

Charge, incident & sentence:

Charge: Inciting subversion of state power
Incident: Organising and participating in unofficial primary elections for the Hong Kong Legislative Council in July 2020
Sentencing: Not charged