Former Hong Kong University Students’ Union president Sun Xiaolan, sentenced to 4 years and 9 months, released after completing her sentence on July 29, 2026

On July 30, 2026, this publication learned that Sun Xiaolan, the former president of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union who was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months, was released after completing her sentence on July 29, 2026.

Sun Xiaolan: Born on November 8, 1995, she is a Hong Kong localist and former president of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union.

Sun Xiaolan attended Wa Ying College from 2007 to 2013 and served as president of the school’s students’ union while there. She became president of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union in 2016, and was also the first president of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union to publicly express support for Hong Kong independence during her term. During her term as president, she was appointed by the Hong Kong government as a member of the Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, serving as the committee’s only student member.

On March 16, 2024, the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, handed down sentences in the “Legislative Council Occupation riot case” that occurred during the 2019 anti-extradition bill protests. Twelve protesters, including Sun Xiaolan, were convicted of rioting and sentenced to between 4.5 years and 6 years and 10 months in prison. Sun Xiaolan was convicted of rioting and sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison. In her own statement, Sun Xiaolan said: “In the eyes of the regime, our real crime is the pursuit of democracy, freedom and human rights.” She was released after completing her sentence on July 29, 2026.