A report by the British media outlet Metro says that since UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office on July 20, at least 12 Hong Kong people who were convicted of riot-related offenses in connection with the 2019 anti-government turmoil have had their BNO visa applications rejected by the UK Home Office.
The report states that in the refusal letters, the UK authorities cited the Hong Kong courts' indictments and judgments, stressing that the applicants' conduct would likewise be illegal if it occurred within the UK.
The report quotes two anonymized cases. One is Edward (a pseudonym), a 28-year-old man, who was convicted of riot offenses for participating in a riot in Yuen Long in July 2019 and sentenced to more than one year in prison. In the refusal letter, the Home Office cited the court's ruling, noting that at the time he was positioned at the front line facing off against the police and did not comply with the dispersal order; it concluded that his conduct would also be illegal in the UK.
The other case involves John (a pseudonym), who was sentenced to two years and one month in prison for participating in a riot at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November 2019. He also received a similar refusal letter the following day.
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