CUHK alumni lose legal bid to overturn election ban over ‘scandalous’ conduct
South China Morning Post
by Brian WongFebruary 20, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Two Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) alumni, Walter Tse Wai-lok and Anthony Suen Ho-yin, have lost their legal challenge to overturn their disqualification from an election for the university’s advisory body. The judge ruled against them, citing their failure to file the case within three months of their disqualifications and emphasizing that even if they had succeeded, it would not have changed the outcome. The standing committee concluded that their prior conduct or pro-independence views raised significant concerns about their candidacy, leading to their ban.
The duo applied for judicial review in November 2023, arguing that CUHK denied them a chance to present their case before being disqualified from running in February of the same year. However, Mr. Justice Russell Coleman noted that Tse and Suen should have anticipated that their past actions or political stances would raise red flags about their suitability for the role. The judge also highlighted the lack of public functions in the standing committee’s decision-making process, which limited judicial intervention.
The case highlights the ongoing tensions around political expression and academic freedom in Hong Kong. Tse and Suen’s disqualifications were tied to their involvement in or support for pro-independence activities during the 2019 anti-government protests, a period marked by heightened scrutiny of dissent
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Originally published on South China Morning Post on 2/20/2026