getty imagesHong Kong police have offered a reward of HK$1 million (£103,000, $129,000) for information leading to the arrest of six pro-democracy activists living in Britain and Canada.
Among them is Tony Chung, a former independence activist. Fleeed to England last year.
The group, which includes former district councilors, actors and YouTubers, has been lobbying for democratization in the region. All of them were charged with violating the city’s national security law.
Human Rights Watch called on the British and Canadian governments to push back against the warrant, calling it “a cowardly act of intimidation aimed at silencing the people of Hong Kong.”
Also on the wanted list were former local councilor Carmen Lau and activist Chloe Cheung. Both are based in the UK and lobby on behalf of two NGOs calling for more democracy in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong police have issued arrest warrants for two people living in Canada, including political commentator and pollster Jeong Kim Wah, who left Hong Kong for the UK in 2022, and former actor Joseph Tay, who co-founded the NGO HongKonger Station. issued. , YouTuber Victor Ho.
Mr. Ho was indicted on charges of subversion, while the other six were indicted on charges of secession and collusion with foreign or external forces.
The city’s police chief issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday, accusing some of the wanted activists of repeatedly asking foreign countries to impose sanctions and other measures against China and Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK.
Mr. Jeong was first convicted in 2021 on charges of demanding Hong Kong independence and was released in June of last year.
“I am honored to be the first Hong Konger to be indicted twice under the National Security Law,” he posted on Instagram on Tuesday.
Mr Chung said the news did not come as a surprise to him as he had breached his supervision order by fleeing to the UK following his release from prison last year.
“I knew this day would come. From the moment I decided to leave Hong Kong, I was fully aware that I would not be able to return for a long time,” he wrote.
getty imagesMs. Lau posted to X that the warrant would not stop her advocacy work. She called on the UK, US and EU governments to impose sanctions on “Hong Kong human rights abusers”.
She also called on Britain’s Labor government to seriously rethink its strategy for tackling transnational repression against Hong Kongers and consider blocking the expansion of the Chinese embassy on Tower Hill.
Earlier this month Tower Hamlets councilors They unanimously rejected the plan to build a new Chinese embassy.. However, the ruling is only advisory and not binding, and it will be up to Deputy Prime Minister and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner to decide whether to grant permission.
This is the third arrest warrant and reward issued since China implemented the National Security Law.
The first two rounds took place in July and December last year and targeted former lawmaker Nathan Law. Nathan Law told the BBC last year: His life has become more dangerous since the bounty was announced. – and Simon Cheng, a former British consulate employee. Detained in a high-profile case in 2019. Both currently reside in the UK.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Tuesday that Beijing supported the move as it supports Hong Kong performing its duties in accordance with the law.
She added that Hong Kong is “a society governed by the rule of law and no one has extrajudicial privileges.”
Hong Kong’s controversial national security law Imposed in 2020 It’s a response to anti-government protests in 2019 that rocked the city for months.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong say the law is necessary to maintain stability and deny that it has weakened autonomy, but critics say it has reduced the city’s autonomy and criminalized widespread opposition.
