Hong Kong police on Tuesday announced a new round of arrest warrants for six overseas activists – including two Canadian citizens – with rewards set at $185,000 for information leading to their arrests.
According to the warrants, all six are wanted for national security crimes such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. They include Tony Chung, former leader of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism.
UK-based Carmen Lau, a former district councilor and current Hong Kong Democracy Council activist, and Chloe Cheung, a Hong Kong Freedom Committee activist, also had arrest warrants issued.
The latest round of injunctions signals that the Hong Kong government is cracking down on high-profile critics based abroad.
The government had previously issued two rounds of arrest warrants and offered bounties to more prominent activists, including former lawmakers Ted Hui and Nathan Law.
The rising number of people wanted abroad comes as Hong Kong continues to suppress political dissent after massive anti-government protests in 2019 sparked a wave of pro-democracy movements. Since then, many outspoken pro-democracy activists have been imprisoned and others have fled abroad.
Activists respond to bounties placed on their heads
Chung, a former student movement leader, said in a story posted on Instagram that he felt “honored” to be the first Hong Kong man charged with violating the national security law twice.
“As a staunch nationalist from Hong Kong, today's arrest warrant is undoubtedly a kind of confirmation for me. In the future, I will continue to steadfastly and fearlessly promote Hong Kong's self-determination,” he wrote.
Separately, Cheung, who lives in the UK, said in an Instagram post that “even in the face of a powerful enemy, I will continue to do what I believe is right.”
“How fragile, incompetent and cowardly does the regime have to be to believe that I, a 19-year-old ordinary Hong Konger, can 'threaten' and 'divide' the country? How panicked are they that they have to bet a million dollar bounty on me?” she asked.
Article 23, Hong Kong's controversial national security law, has come into force. Many fear that suppressing dissent will further restrict civil liberties.
Lau posted on X a call for governments including the UK, US and EU countries to “impose sanctions without further delay on perpetrators of human rights violations in Hong Kong” and called on democracies to support Hong Kong's right to self-determination.
“The Hong Kong government's latest round of arrest warrants and rewards against six Hong Kong activists is a cowardly act of intimidation intended to silence the people of Hong Kong,” said Maya Wang, deputy China director at Human Rights Watch.
“All six – including two Canadian citizens – live in the UK and Canada. We call on the British and Canadian governments to act immediately and oppose the Hong Kong government's attempts to threaten Hong Kong people living in their countries.”
Tuesday's arrest warrants bring the total number of people wanted to 19.
Others on Tuesday's list include: Chung Kim-wah, previously a senior fellow at the independent research organization Hong Kong Institute for Public Opinion Research; Joseph Tay, co-founder of the Canadian NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho.
The Hong Kong government on Tuesday issued orders to revoke the passports of seven “fugitives,” including former lawmakers Hui and Dennis Kwok, who are wanted under security laws.
The orders were issued under Hong Kong's national security law – known as Article 23 – and also prohibit all seven from dealing in Hong Kong funds, as well as joint venture and property activities.