Hong Kong democracy activist Tony Chung, who once called for the city's independence and was the youngest person to be jailed under its national security law, has been granted asylum in the U.K.

Chung, 24, posted a letter from the U.K. interior ministry on his Instagram page on Sunday, which read, "Your claim for asylum has been successful and you have been granted refugee status."

U.K. authorities accepted that Chung has a "well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to your country."