Some of the 6,000 protesters arrested but not charged during the 2019 social unrest in Hong Kong were recently told by police their cases would not be pursued further after waiting more than three years, a lawmaker who had been helping them revealed on Tuesday as he welcomed the progress.

Gary Zhang Xinyu, however, also voiced concern that some protesters who had either completed their sentences or had their cases closed had been denied entry to mainland China or had failed to renew home return permits when they tried to cross the border in the wake of the recent reopening after Covid-19 curbs were lifted.

The permit is a travel document issued by mainland authorities to Hongkongers for cross-border travel.