Hong Kong police have offered rewards of HK$ 1m ( £103, 000,$ 129, 000 ) for information leading to the arrests of six pro-democracy activists living in the UK and Canada.
Among them is Tony Chung, the former leader of a pro-independence group who fled to the UK last year.
The party- which includes a previous district council, an artist, and a YouTuber- have been lobbying for more politics in the territory. All have been accused of breaking the state’s federal safety rules.
Foreign Secretary of the UK, David Lammy, criticized the action and demanded that Hong Kong government “end their targeting of individuals in the UK and other countries who support liberty and democracy.”
” We will not bear any attempt by foreign governments to compel, scare, abuse, or hurt their critics abroad, especially in the UK,” he said, adding that the UK government was dedicated to supporting those from Hong Kong who have relocated to the country.
Past city council Carmen Lau and dissident Chloe Cheung are both on the wanted list. Both have offices in the UK and work for two Charities that want more democracy in Hong Kong.
Political critic and researcher Chung Kim-wah, who left Hong Kong for the UK in 2022, as well as two Canadian nationals, former actors Victor Tay and Victor Ho, both of whom co-founded the NGO HongKonger Station.
The various six have been accused of inciting independence and cooperation with a foreign nation or outside forces, while Mr. Ho has been charged with subterfuge.
The city’s best police officers released the arrest warrants on Tuesday, according to Hong Kong’s people broadcaster RTHK, who accused some of the required activists of constantly asking foreign nations to impose sanctions and various measures against China and Hong Kong.
In June of last year, Mr. Chung was freed after being found guilty for calling for the independence of Hong Kong. He was initially found guilty in 2021.
He stated on Instagram on Tuesday that it was” an honor to be the first Hongkonger to face two charges under the National Security Law.”
Mr. Chung claimed that he was unaware of the information because he had broken a care order after leaving jail by fleeing to the UK last season.
” I knew this day would come. I was totally conscious that I would not be able to return for a long time from the moment I made the decision to leave Hong Kong,” he wrote.
Mr. Chung confirmed to the BBC that he was still waiting for the UK authorities to approve his prison program.
Ms. Lau stated on X that her advocacy job may continue despite the warrant. She demanded that” Hong Kong animal rights violators” be subject to sanctions from the governments of the UK, the US, and the EU.
She also requested that the British Labour state” really evaluate its methods for tackling international suppression targeting Hong Kongers” and to consider halting plans for a new Chinese ambassador in Tower Hill.
Earlier this month, Tower Hamlets councillors voted unanimously to reject the plans. However, the verdict 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 or not.
This is the second round of arrest warrants and fines issued since the National Security Law was enacted in Beijing.
The first two rounds were issued in July and December last year, and targeted former lawmaker Nathan Law – who told the BBC last year that his life has become more dangerous since the bounty was announced – and Simon Cheng, a former UK consulate employee detained in 2019 in a high-profile case. Both men are now based in the UK.
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese government, backed the move on Tuesday, claiming the country’s government supported Hong Kong “performing its duties in accordance with the law.”
She continued, stating that” no one has extrajudicial privileges and a society governed by the rule of law” in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s controversial National Security Law was imposed in 2020 in response to the 2019 anti-government protests that rocked the city for months.
Beijing and Hong Kong authorities contend that the law must be followed to maintain stability and that it has not weakened autonomy, but critics claim that it has diminished city autonomy and made a wider range of dissensical actions illegal.