He faces more serious charges: conspiring with others to lobby foreign countries for sanctions against Hong Kong and the mainland; conspiracy; and possession of ammunition without a licence. Last week, a police statement said that he and seven more activists were returned to Hong Kong to face further charges but he failed to attend a scheduled court hearing in West Kowloon. The State-appointed law firm, Olympia Chambers, said on Thursday that Li missed his court appearance “due to the quarantine conditions,” required in Hong Kong to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and “not due to any other reason”. But his family have been unable to contact him and it has been suggested by local media – said to have been tipped off by the Chinese state – that Li is in a psychiatric hospital, sparking fears he may have been tortured.