National Security Law: Hong Kong issues arrest warrant against 6 overseas activists
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 25 Dec: Hong Kong’s Deputy Commissioner of Police(National Security) announced a bounty worth HK$ 1 million each for information leading to the arrest of six pro-democracy overseas Hongkongers in the UK and Canada on Tuesday, reported the rthl.hk.
The arrest warrants were issued for disrupting national security. Offences in the warrants include secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.
There are three young activists on the list including, Chloe Cheung(19), a communication and Media Assistant at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong based in the UK, and Tony Chung(23), who sought asylum in the UK in 2023 following his release from three years sentence under national security law and Carmen Lau(29) a current activist with the US-based Hong Kong Democracy council in the UK.
The move has been heavily criticised by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who called on Hong Kong authorities to “end their targeting of individuals in the UK and elsewhere who stand up for freedom and democracy”, according to a report by BBC.
Mr Chung stated in an Instagram, “It was an honour to become the first Hongkonger to be charged twice under the National Security Law. The report also noted that he was not surprised by the news as he breached a supervision order after his release from prison by fleeing to the UK last year.
He told the BBC that he was still waiting for his asylum application to be approved by the UK government.
The transnational repression exercised by Hong Kong under China has raised concerns over the safety of overseas Hongkongers.
The UK foreign secretary said, “We will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, especially in the UK”, and further added that the UK government was committed to supporting those from Hong Kong who have relocated to the UK.
The Crackdown on Pro-Democracy activists in Hong Kong has increased since the National Security Law (NSL) was established in 2020 by China in response to the earlier protests against the Extradition Bill.
The NSL criminalises anything which is seen as breaking away from China or undermining the power of the central government. The law also criminalises collusion with foreign or external forces and forbids violence or intimidation against people.
The law enabled the arrest of a number of protesters, activists and former opposition lawmakers. As of May 31, the Hong Kong Democracy Council database had documented 1,875 political prisoners in Hong Kong, noted in a joint report by the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet.
The report further details the attacks on protesters during Xi Jinping’s visit to San Francisco in November 2023 by organizations and individuals affiliated with the Chinese government, aimed at intimidating and discouraging activists from confronting Xi during his Visit.
Many Hongkongers have had to choose to leave the city in recent years. The UK announced a special Visa Scheme for Hong Kong residents in 2020 in response to the NSL. Evidently, four of the six suspects are currently based in the UK, the rest in Canada.
