{{Short description|Hong Kong social worker and activist (1969–2025)}} {{Family name hatnote|Shiu|lang=Hong Kong}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Shiu Ka-chun | native_name = {{nobold|邵家臻}} | native_name_lang = zh-hk | image = Shiu Ka-chun 2017.jpg | alt = | caption = Shiu in 2017 | order = | office1 = Member of the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]] | term_start1 = 1 October 2016 | term_end1 = 1 December 2020 | alongside1 = <!--For two or more people serving in the same position from the same district. (e.g. United States Senators.)--> | predecessor1 = [[Cheung Kwok-che]] | successor1 = [[Tik Chi-yuen]] (2022) | constituency1 = [[Social Welfare (constituency)|Social Welfare]] | majority = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1969|6|3|df=y}} | birth_place = [[British Hong Kong]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|1|10|1969|6|3|df=y}} | death_place = [[Kowloon]], Hong Kong | citizenship = | party = [[Professionals Guild]] | partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> | relations = | children = | alma_mater = [[Hong Kong Baptist University]] | occupation = | profession = Social worker | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = SKC Sign.png | website = | footnotes = | blank1 = | data1 = }} {{Infobox Chinese | c = 邵家臻 | j = siu6 gaa1 zeon1 | p = Shào Jiāzhēn }}
'''Shiu Ka-chun''' ({{lang-zh|邵家臻}}; 3 June 1969 – 10 January 2025) was a Hong Kong social worker and activist, and a lecturer at [[Hong Kong Baptist University]]. He was one of leaders in the [[2014 Hong Kong protests]]. In 2016, he was elected to the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong]] through the [[Social Welfare (constituency)|Social Welfare]] [[functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituency]]. Shiu resigned along with 14 other remaining pro-democracy legislators from the Legislative Council on 11 November 2020, after the central government had unseated four of pro-democracy legislators the same day.
==Early life, activism, and term in Legislative Council== Shiu was a social worker and activist, and a onetime lecturer and associate director of the Centre for Youth Research and Practice at [[Hong Kong Baptist University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://globalvoices.org/2021/03/30/how-hong-kong-lost-its-academic-freedom-in-2020/|title=How Hong Kong lost its academic freedom in 2020|first=Oiwan|last=Lam|publisher=[[Global Voices]]|date=30 March 2021|access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref>
He participated in social movements and some illegal protests, including in the [[2014 Hong Kong protests]], a 79-day-long [[Civil disobedience|protest]] against the Beijing government's restrictions on the electoral method of choosing the [[Chief Executive of Hong Kong]]. He was one of the core members, along with the [[Occupy Central with Love and Peace|Occupy Central]] trio, [[Benny Tai]], [[Chan Kin-man]] and [[Chu Yiu-ming]]. He voluntarily reported to police after the trio and Cardinal [[Joseph Zen]] had done the same, towards the end of the Occupy event in early December 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=3 Hong Kong Protest Leaders Turn Themselves In|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/world/asia/hong-kong-protests.html |first1=Chris|last1=Buckley|first2=Alan|last2=Wong|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=3 December 2014|access-date=13 February 2021|archive-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203003458/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/world/asia/hong-kong-protests.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2016, he was elected to the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong]] through the [[Social Welfare (constituency)|Social Welfare]] [[functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2019/04/11/full-dont-get-used-dark-shiu-ka-chuns-umbrella-movement-speech-ahead-sentencing/|title=In Full: 'Don't get used to the dark' – Shiu Ka-chun's Umbrella Movement speech ahead of sentencing|first=Ka-chun|last=Shiu|work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]]|date=11 April 2019|access-date=16 January 2025}}</ref>
On 24 April 2019, Shiu was sentenced to eight months in prison after having been convicted, two weeks earlier, of public nuisance charges in relation to the protests in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2019/04/24/breaking-hong-kongs-leading-umbrella-movement-activists-handed-jail-sentences/|title=Hong Kong's leading Umbrella Movement activists handed jail sentences|first=Holmes|last=Chan|work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]]|date=24 April 2019|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> The following day, Shiu was taken to hospital due to an irregular heartbeat. Having recovered from a successful [[angioplasty]] procedure, Shiu was transferred to prison by 7 May; his application for leave of absence to attend Legislative Council meetings was refused by prison authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2019/05/07/convicted-umbrella-movement-activists-tanya-chan-shiu-ka-chun-recovery-medical-procedures/|title=Convicted Umbrella Movement activists Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun in recovery after medical procedures|first=Holmes|last=Chan|work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]]|date=7 May 2019|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> After his release, Shiu was advised by Hong Kong Baptist University in January 2020 to stop teaching pending a disciplinary review, and in late July 2020 that his contract as lecturer would not be renewed beyond August. Pointing to his excellent evaluations in teaching by students and the department head, Shiu said that the decision had "totally been a matter of political persecution".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1540174-20200727.htm|title=Shiu loses job as Baptist University lecturer|publisher=[[RTHK]]|date=27 July 2020|access-date=13 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016070223/https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1540174-20200727.htm|archive-date=16 October 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2020072823130911|title=Sacking of scholar 'marks the end of academic freedom'|first1=Mimi|last1=Leung|first2=Yojana|last2=Sharma|work=[[University World News]]|date=28 July 2020|access-date=16 January 2025}}</ref>
On 11 November 2020, Shiu resigned from the Legislative Council [[2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council mass resignations|together with 14 remaining pro-democratic legislators]] in protest over the unseating of four pro-democratic legislators through a ruling by the central government on the same day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/four-prodemocracy-hong-kong-mps-stripped-of-their-seats/news-story/565a2e0b5503e194718c28afc7539f09|title=HK pro-democracy MPs quit in protest|work=[[The Australian]] / [[Agence France-Presse|AFP]]|date=11 November 2020|access-date=27 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/an-own-goal-experts-question-resignation-of-hong-kong-lawmakers|title='An own goal': experts question resignation of Hong Kong lawmakers|first1=Lily|last1=Kuo|first2=Helen|last2=Davidson|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=11 November 2020|access-date=27 November 2020}}</ref>
Drawing on his personal experience of imprisonment in 2019 for his involvement in the Occupy Central movement, Shiu learned about and began to focus on prisoner rights and prison conditions. Later he founded the prisoner rights support and advocacy group [[Wall-fare]] to provide support to those imprisoned for their participation in the 2019 Hong Kong anti-government protests.<ref name="hkfp_20250110"/> Wall-fare also addressed prison living conditions and advocated for prison reform, such as exposing the [[Correctional Services Department]]'s interference with inmates' "private meals" and highlighting issues of excessive heat within prisons. Due to pressure from various sources including political pressure, Shiu announced the disbandment of Wall-fare in September 2021, bringing an end to the organization's operations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hong Kong prisoner rights support group Wall-fare to disband|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2021/09/14/breaking-hong-kong-prisoner-rights-support-group-wall-fare-to-disband/|first1=Rhoda|last1=Kwan|newspaper=[[Hong Kong Free Press]]|date=14 September 2021|access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref>
==Illness and death== In early November 2024, Shiu wrote on [[Facebook]] that he had felt stomach discomfort the previous month and that, after successive misdiagnoses with excessive [[stomach acid]] and [[gastritis]] and a later suspicion of a duodenal obstruction, he had been diagnosed with [[stomach cancer]]. He had then undergone surgery to remove half of his stomach, resulting in him losing 15 kilograms of weight.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2024/11/04/hong-kong-umbrella-movement-activist-and-ex-lawmaker-shiu-ka-chun-reveals-cancer-diagnosis/ |title=Hong Kong Umbrella Movement activist and ex-lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun reveals cancer diagnosis |first=James |last=Lee |work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |date=4 November 2024 |access-date=3 January 2026}}</ref> In early January 2025, Shiu stated on social media that due to the worsening of his condition, he had begun [[palliative care]].<ref name="hkfp_20250110">{{cite web |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2025/01/10/hong-kong-former-lawmaker-and-prison-rights-activist-shiu-ka-chun-dies-at-55/ |title=Hong Kong former lawmaker and prison rights activist Shiu Ka-chun dies at 55 |first=James |last=Lee |work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |date=10 January 2025 |access-date=17 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Former lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun dies at 55 after cancer battle |url=https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/224756/Former-lawmaker-Shiu-Ka-chun-dies-at-55-after-cancer-battle |access-date=15 January 2025 |website=The Standard |archive-date=14 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114162122/https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/224756/Former-lawmaker-Shiu-Ka-chun-dies-at-55-after-cancer-battle |url-status=live }}</ref>
Shiu died of stomach cancer at [[Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong|Queen Elizabeth Hospital]] in Hong Kong, on 10 January 2025, at the age of 55.<ref name="hkfp_20250110"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/hongkong-shiu-ka-chun-death-01092025133836.html|title=港前立法會議員邵家臻因胃癌病逝 終年55歲|work=Radio Free Asia|language=zh|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109210301/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/hongkong-shiu-ka-chun-death-01092025133836.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|hk}} {{s-bef|before = [[Cheung Kwok-che]]}} {{s-ttl|title = Member of Legislative Council|district=[[Social Welfare (constituency)|Social Welfare]]|years = 2016–2020}} {{s-aft|after= [[Tik Chi-yuen]]}} {{end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiu, Ka-chun}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:2025 deaths]] [[Category:Hong Kong social workers]] [[Category:Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 2016–2021]] [[Category:Alumni of Hong Kong Baptist University]] [[Category:Political prisoners held by Hong Kong]] [[Category:Deaths from stomach cancer in Hong Kong]] [[Category:Prisoners' rights activists]]