Hong Kong police offer rewards for tips leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists
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Hong Kong issues bounties for 19 overseas activists on subversion charges
Hong Kong police announced bounties Friday for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists, accusing them of national security crimes. Police said the 19 activists were involved in what they called a ‘subversive organisation’ Hong Kong Parliament — a pro-democracy NGO established in Canada. A reward of HK$200,000 ($25,500) each was offered for 15 of the activists, while the four others were already wanted for HK$1 million, police said. Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 after huge, sometimes violent pro- democracy protests the year before.
Hong Kong police announced bounties Friday for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists, accusing them of national security crimes.
Political dissent in Hong Kong has been quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 after huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.
Many opposition figures have fled abroad, while others have been arrested and sentenced to years in jail.
Police said the 19 activists were involved in what they called a “subversive organisation”, Hong Kong Parliament — a pro-democracy NGO established in Canada.
On July 1, Hong Kong Parliament said on social media that it was holding an unofficial poll online to form a “legislature”, aimed at “opposing one-party dictatorship and tyranny and pursuing Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong”.
In a statement on Friday, police accused the group of seeking to “unlawfully overthrow and undermine the fundamental system” of the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
A reward of HK$200,000 ($25,500) each was offered for 15 of the activists, while the four others were already wanted for HK$1 million, the statement said.
– Symbolic bounties –
The bounties are seen as largely symbolic given that they affect people living abroad in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China.
Friday’s announcement is the fourth time the financial hub’s authorities have offered rewards for help capturing those alleged to have violated the city’s national security laws.
Previous rounds of bounties were met with intense criticism from Western countries, with Hong Kong and China in turn railing against “interference” from foreign countries.
Hong Kong has also previously cancelled the passports of other pro-democracy activists on its wanted list, under its second homegrown national security law enacted in 2024.
The 2020 national security law criminalised for the first time secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, with offenders facing up to life imprisonment.
Scores of pro-democracy and civil society groups, including trade unions and media outlets, have closed.
As of July 1, authorities had arrested 333 people for alleged national security crimes, with 165 convicted in Hong Kong.
Earlier this month, Hong Kong police arrested four people, including a 15-year-old, who were allegedly part of a group in Taiwan that called for the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party.
This week police said they had arrested an 18-year-old for writing “seditious words” on a toilet wall in a commercial building.
Hong Kong police offer rewards for tips leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists
Hong Kong police announced rewards for the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-establish a so-called “Hong Kong’s” national security. It said the group and members came from various regions, including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and Britain. The group calls itself Hong Kong, its influence is limited. It also said that the group is not quite successful in drawing active participation, and that the police campaign would help the group rally support. It is also not successful in making more mistakes, but it is trying to make the right one. It’s not successful to make more mistakes but it’s trying to get to the point where it’s not making any more mistakes. It can be successful if the group makes the right decision to make it to the end of the game and not the beginning of it.
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police announced rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas-based activists for their roles in what they called a subversive organization abroad, accusing them of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing.
Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a so-called “Hong Kong constitution,” alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China’s fundamental system or overthrow the institutions in power in the city or China.
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On request by the police, the city’s court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others. They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group.
According to a Facebook statement by the group on Jun. 30, its election drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and Britain.
While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Canada and its influence is limited.
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Among the 19 activists, police have already offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,400) for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when previous arrest warrants were issued against them. For the remaining 15 people, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($25,480) were offered, urging residents to provide information about the case or the people.
“The investigation is still ongoing. If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case,” police said.
They also called on those wanted to stop their actions while they still can, saying that they hoped the activists “will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes.”
Yuen said in a Facebook live broadcast that the election was not quite successful in drawing active participation, and that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement.
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“It helps us with a lot of advertising,” Yuen said.
During the live chat with Yuen on Facebook, Sasha Gong, another person targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is U.S. citizen and would report her case to the U.S. authorities and lawmakers.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a joint statement that the warrants and bounties on people living in Britain are “another example of transnational repression,” and that the act encourages reckless behavior on U.K. soil.
Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also canceled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced to the city last year.
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The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
In March, the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in “transnational repression” and acts that threaten to further erode the city’s autonomy.
But Beijing and Hong Kong insist the national security laws were necessary for the city’s stability. Hong Kong police have maintained that the Beijing-imposed law applies to permanent residents in Hong Kong who violate it abroad.
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UK blasts Hong Kong rewards for help to catch activists overseas
UK condemns Hong Kong authorities for offering payment in exchange for assisting in the arrest of pro-democracy activists living in the UK. British government begins the process of reinstating an extradition deal with the autonomous Chinese city. Hong Kong’s national security police also formally announced arrest warrants for the 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law. The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or running as candidates in the unofficial “Hong Kong Parliament” group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a ‘Hong Kong constitution’ Police allege the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow. The bounties range from 200,000 to one million Hong Kong dollars (about $25,000-$125,000), depending on the individual the Hong Kong Authorities seek to arrest.
On Saturday, Hong Kong’s national security police also formally announced arrest warrants for the 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet.
The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or running as candidates in the unofficial “Hong Kong Parliament” group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a “Hong Kong constitution”.
Police, who allege the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow.
A day earlier on Friday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper issued a joint statement denouncing Hong Kong’s announced cash rewards for information on the 19 activists.
In their statement, Lammy and Cooper called on China to stop targeting opposition voices in the UK.
“The Hong Kong Police Force’s issuing of further arrest warrants and bounties on individuals living in the UK is another example of transnational repression,” their statement read.
The bounties range from 200,000 to one million Hong Kong dollars (about $25,000-$125,000), depending on the individual the Hong Kong authorities seek to arrest.
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Police, who said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow.
It was the fourth time Hong Kong authorities have made reward offers, which have drawn strong criticism from Western countries, to which China, in turn, has denounced as “interference”.
In their statement, the two British ministers said “this Government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made the [United Kingdom] their home. We take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously”.
But a recent proposal by the British government to reform extradition rules has prompted serious concerns, with some fearing it could pave the way for a resumption of extraditions to Hong Kong, which have been suspended since the 2020 national security law was enacted.
On Friday, Al Jazeera reported that the UK Home Office applied to Parliament to make changes to the country’s legislation regarding extradition on July 17, followed by a letter to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp the next day.
“It is in our national interest to have effective extradition relationships to prevent criminals from evading justice and the UK becoming a haven for criminals,” the July 18 letter from Security Minister Dan Jarvis said.
The Home Office also plans to restore an extradition framework with Chile and Zimbabwe, according to the letter, which was shared on X by Conservative MP Alicia Kearns.
Cases for Hong Kong and Zimbabwe would both be considered on a “case-by-case basis”, Jarvis said.
About 150,000 Hong Kong nationals migrated to the UK under a special visa scheme introduced in 2021.
In 2024, legislators in Hong Kong approved a new national security law – referred to as Article 23 – that gave the government new powers to crack down on all forms of dissent on the grounds of alleged treason, espionage, sedition and external interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs. Since then, Hong Kong has been offering bounties for the arrest of activists who have fled the city while facing charges related to the pro-democracy protests.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, is a particular sticking point for the UK due to its historical relationship and the sharp decline in political freedoms in Hong Kong since China imposed controversial national security legislation in 2020.
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The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a “one country, two systems” formula.
Hong Kong issues arrest warrants for 19 overseas activists accused of subversion
Hong Kong’s national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas. They are accused of subversion under a stringent national security law. The UK’s Foreign and Home Secretaries condemned the move, calling the arrests “another example of transnational repression” Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government’s remarks “constitute a gross interference” in China’s internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a “one country, two systems” formula. It was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019.
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong’s national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet.
They are accused of organising or participating in the “Hong Kong Parliament”, a group that authorities in the Asian financial hub say aimed to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019.
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The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial “Hong Kong Parliament” group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a “Hong Kong constitution”.
Police, who said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow.
Among those named are businessman Elmer Yuen, commentator Victor Ho, and activists Johnny Fok and Tony Choi. Four of them are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a bounty of HK$1 million ($127,000).
Among the remaining 15, for each of whom police are offering a bounty of HK$200,000 ($25,480), are those said to have organised or run in the election and sworn in as its councillors.
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None of the accused could be reached for comment.
The UK’s Foreign and Home Secretaries condemned the move in a joint statement, calling the arrests “another example of transnational repression” and saying it damages Hong Kong’s international reputation.
“(The UK) will not tolerate attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas,” it said in a statement on Friday.
In response, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government’s remarks “constitute a gross interference” in China’s internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong.
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“China urges the UK to abandon its colonial mentality, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs…stop shielding criminals,” it said.
The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a “one country, two systems” formula.
Critics of the national security law say authorities are using it to stifle dissent.
Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019.
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Police reiterated that national security offenses were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach and urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and surrender.
“If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment,” they said in a statement.
Police also warned that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the “Hong Kong Parliament” could be a criminal offense.
($1=7.8488 Hong Kong dollars)
(Reporting by Jessie Pang; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Clarence Fernandez and Jacqueline Wong)