On 12 March 2025, social worker Jackie Chen Hung-sau (陳虹秀), 48, was convicted of rioting in the District Court in Wan Chai, in a retrial related to her involvement in an anti-government protest on 31 August 2019. Deputy District Judge May Chung Ming-sun remanded her in custody with sentencing scheduled for April 9. The case is significant as it comes after Chen was previously acquitted in September 2020, but the Court of Appeal later ordered a retrial. Following the conviction, on 12 March 2025, Labor and Welfare Bureau Chief Sun Yuhan stated that the Social Workers Registration Board would handle Chen’s license renewal application according to the Social Workers Registration Ordinance, which specifies procedures for cases involving criminal convictions. Last year, legislation was passed to allow the Social Workers Registration Board to disqualify social workers convicted of national security offenses or other crimes that could bring the profession “into disrepute”. The Board responded on March 13 that they have not yet reviewed her renewal application as the court has not yet issued a sentence.
