Jimmy Sham is a prominent LGBT rights activist in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. He began his political career as early as 2008 with the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF; 民間人權陣線). His roles encompassed managing matters related to human rights and police affairs. In a notable incident following a demonstration on July 1, 2011, Sham was fined a HKD 1,500 penalty for illegal assembly, which marked his first criminal record. Sham formally assumed CHRF's convener in 2015. After a brief period away to continue his studies, he resumed his role in 2018 until October 2020.[1]

CHRF officially disbanded on Aug. 15, 2021, following the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. It had affiliations with 48 NGOs and political entities, taking the lead in coordinating most of the city's largest assemblies, such as the July 1st marches and a series of demonstrations during the 2019 Anti-extradition Bill protests.[2] Under Sham's leadership, CHRF organized two significant marches in the early stage of the 2019 protests, scoring participation from one to two million marchers.

In November 2019, voters elected Sham to the Sha Tin District Council, representing the Lek Yuen constituency. However, in July 2021, Sham resigned from this role, as Hong Kong authorities decided to unseat any officials who had put up slogans from the 2019 protests on their office walls.[3]

Beyond his association with CHRF, Sham was also the secretary for the LGBT rights organization, Rainbow of Hong Kong (香港彩虹), and a member of the executive committee for the League of Social Democrats (社會民主連線).[4]

In the 2020 pro-democracy primaries, Sham garnered 24,144 votes from the Kowloon West constituency, securing nominations to the Legislative Council election.[5] However, he was arrested on Jan. 6, 2021, alongside 52 individuals in relation to the primaries. Sham was granted bail on Jan. 7.[6] On Feb. 28, 2021, he was arrested again along with 46 others and charged with "subversion" under the National Security Law. He was denied bail multiple times and has remained in custody. On Sept. 2, 2022, Sham pleaded guilty to the charges.[7]

Owing to his political stance, Sham has been the target of multiple assaults leading to hospitalization. On Aug. 29, 2019, he was attacked with a softball bat and an iron tube.[8] In a subsequent incident on Oct. 16, 2019, a group of 4 to 5 perpetrators attacked him on a public street and assaulted him with a hammer, resulting in severe bleeding. [9]

Photo: Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit Facebook