Hong Kong is looking for democracy activists with a reward

Status: 06:45 AM| Reading time: 2 minutes

DrHong Kong police have released eight pro-democracy activists living abroad and promised a reward of 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about 117,000 euros) each for information leading to their arrest. Police said at a news conference that former MPs Nathan Law, Ted Hoy and Dennis Kwok, lawyer Kevin Yam, trade unionist Maung Siu Tat and activists Vin Lau, Anna Kwok and Elmer Yuen had violated the security law that took effect in 2020.

Stephen Li, senior commissioner of the National Security Department of China’s Special Administrative Region, said the exiles had committed “extremely serious crimes endangering national security”. Other allegations include cooperation with other countries and calls for sanctions against Hong Kong officials. Most Wanted live in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.

Stephen Lee admitted that the police could not arrest the wanted persons while they were abroad. They must return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in and can get away with lighter sentences.

London: You will always defend the right to freedom of expression

The eight activists fled Hong Kong after Beijing enacted a so-called national security law in the special administrative region in mid-2020 in the wake of violent pro-democracy protests. Authorities are allowed to crack down on protesters.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly responded to the grant by saying that Britain “will not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence people in the UK and abroad”. London will “always defend the right to freedom of expression”. British Home Secretary Tom Tugendhat wrote on Twitter that Law and his comrades were under British protection.

London has repeatedly criticized Beijing for undermining rights in the former British crown colony of Hong Kong. In 2020, London suspended its extradition agreement with Hong Kong in protest of China’s implementation of a controversial security law.

China has strongly accused Britain of providing shelter to “fugitive” Hong Kong activists and meddling in China’s internal affairs. “British politicians have publicly offered protection to the fugitives,” said a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London. It said it was a “flagrant interference with the rule of law in Hong Kong and the internal affairs of China.” China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firmly rejects it.”

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