Two years ago, Ray Wong and Alan Li, political activists in Hong Kong, were facing rioting charges over an all-night street clash with the police. They jumped bail and disappeared.

Now they have come forward to say that they are under refugee protection in Germany, making them likely to be the first individuals from the semiautonomous Chinese city to have obtained such sanctuary. The move could be a turning point in shifting global views of Hong Kong, where individual freedoms have eroded as Beijing tightens its hold, threatening the city’s reputation as an oasis of rule of law in Asia.

Disclosure of Germany’s decision, made last year, is likely to inflame an already heated debate in Hong Kong over a proposal to let the territory’s government send criminal suspects to jurisdictions with which it does not have extradition agreements, including mainland China.

Critics are worried that those whose work or political views run afoul of the ruling Communist Party in Beijing could be ensnared. The government has said people accused of political crimes will not be extradited and that the changes will prevent Hong Kong from becoming a haven for criminals.