Hong Kong activist Sunny Cheung applies for asylum in the U.S.

Hong Kong activist Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang has applied for asylum in the United States, a year after fleeing his home, citing Hong Kong’s enactment of the national security law.

He posted an update on his Facebook on Monday night that he had submitted a refugee claim to the U.S. government.

Cheung, along with fellow pro-democracy activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung, failed to show up last September at a court hearing of charges relating to the June 4 vigil. Cheung later the same day announced on social media he had fled to an undisclosed location, citing fears of being followed and threats to his family members.

“Since leaving Hong Kong in August last year, I have been attending various forums and closed-door meetings with government officials and activists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, to talk about the crisis in Hong Kong,” he wrote.

Subject to an arrest warrant, the activist said his involvement in lobbying the U.S. to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act is the major reason for him to leave, citing the national security law.

Meanwhile, he said he had been admitted to Johns Hopkins University to study for a master’s degree at the School of Advanced International Studies.

“I hope that my own experience will influence future diplomats in the United States, and that Hong Kong’s issues will continue to be on their agenda,” the post read.