Nathan Law, a pro-democracy campaigner who fled Hong Kong, has been denied entry to Singapore despite being granted a visa, with the city-state stating that his presence would not be in national interests.
Living in exile in the UK, Law arrived in Singapore on Saturday for a closed-door, invitation-only conference but was detained at the border for four hours.
I was not asked questions and they did not give reason for the denial, he told the BBC.
The Singaporean Ministry of Home Affairs noted that Law is wanted by Hong Kong authorities, who have accused him of compromising national security.
Mr Law's entry into and presence in the country would not be in Singapore's national interests, said the ministry spokesperson in response to media inquiries.
Singapore has an extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and it has asserted its model of governance by being cautious about foreign political influences.
In a statement, Law suggested that the denial was politically motivated. I am unsure whether external forces, such as the PRC (People's Republic of China), are involved, directly or indirectly, he stated.
Law applied for a one-time visa entry three weeks prior to his trip, which was approved, and he holds a UK Refugee Travel Document.
On Sunday, he was put on the next flight back to San Francisco, where he originally departed from, as the event's organizers declined to comment.
As a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement and a former Hong Kong legislator, Law fled in 2020 after the enactment of a stringent national security law in Hong Kong. The law has been criticized widely for limiting freedoms and targeting activists.
Law was granted asylum in the UK in 2021 and remains a symbol of the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong, where authorities have offered significant bounties for information on pro-democracy activists.
