A jailed activist has lost a judicial review against a Hong Kong Correctional Services Department rule that prohibits female inmates from wearing shorts in summer, with the court ruling that the women’s standard prison uniform was carefully designed and did not constitute discrimination.
High Court judge Russell Coleman said on Tuesday that there was “little merit” in Chow Hang-tung’s argument that the department’s clothing policy violated her right to equality.
Under the existing rules, female prisoners must wear trousers rather than shorts, except during nighttime or physical training sessions.
Chow, 40, a barrister-turned-activist, has been held in custody since 2021 and is remanded at the Tai Lam Centre for Women.
She is awaiting trial under the national security law over her role as a former vice-chairwoman of the now-dissolved Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the city’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil.
Chow brought the judicial review on the grounds that female prisoners were treated less favourably than their male counterparts, who are permitted to wear shorts during the summer months.
However, Coleman said the department’s clothing policy was “customised for each gender” with regard to privacy and decency concerns for female inmates.
