A pro-democracy Hong Kong activist in self-exile, Nathan Law, has been listed by Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, in an annual editors' vote announced on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old is, in the words of Hong Kong’s last British governor Chris Patten, “simply a typically brave representative of a generation whose spirit the Communist Party wants to stamp out.”

He won over Time editors in the “pioneers” category, which was one of five that also recognized influential artists, leaders, titans and icons.

The latest honor followed on the heels of Law’s number one ranking last week in a similar poll but with votes cast by the magazine’s readers. He won 3.8% of the 4.7 million votes, keeping the Hong Kong flag flying for the second year running after “Hong Kong protesters” took first place in last year’s edition of the readers' poll.

Law “is one of the leaders of the generation of young people in Hong Kong who oppose the crushing by Beijing of the rule of law and the liberties of an open society in Hong Kong,” Lord Patten, now chancellor of the University of Oxford, penned in an introduction of Law for Time. He “follows the footsteps of people like Martin Lee, Margaret Ng, Jimmy Lai and Cardinal Joseph Zen, who risk their freedom for their people’s democratic rights.”

The winner himself wrote that “it’s unbelievable to see my name on this year’s list,” in a Facebook post that sounded uncertain about the global glory.

He would always question himself about what he had done, which he considered modest compared to protesters languishing in jail or 12 Hongkongers detained in mainland China, he wrote. Life in self-exile overseas was a torment, toggling between questioning and persisting. Guilt gnawed at him constantly because of all the people who had sacrificed for Hong Kong’s democracy movement.

His naming on the list was appropriate as an affirmation of the city’s democracy movement, he said, pledging to try again and again to build new faith and new ideas, and to participate in the international discussion actively and bravely with the identity of “Hong Kong people” to fight against Chinese authoritarianism.

Law is the son of a working-class family. He was one of the student leaders during Hong Kong’s 79-day Occupy movement for democracy in 2014, and founder and chairperson of the now disbanded activist group Demosisto.

In 2016, Law was elected as a legislative councillor, making him the youngest lawmaker, but was disqualified after a court in 2017 invalidated his oath-taking.

The activist left Hong Kong just days before Beijing on June 30 imposed a national security law on the city. According to records submitted to Hong Kong courts, he has not been in the city since June 24.

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