Hong Kong national security police offer bounties for six ‘fugitives’

The Hong Kong administration has issued bounties for six pro-democracy advocates in exile and revoked the passports of seven other campaigners.

The police issued arrest warrants under Hong Kong’s draconian national security laws. They announced a HK$1m (£102,700) reward for information on each of the six activists, accused of offences such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.

The list includes Tony Chung, the former leader of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism; UK-based Carmen Lau, a former district councillor and current activist with the Hong Kong Democracy Council; British-based commentator Chung Kim-wah and Chloe Cheung, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong.

The other two activists are former actor Joseph Tay, who co-founded the Canadian-based NGO Hong Konger Station, and Canadian-based YouTuber Victor Ho.

The six were named in the third round of arrest warrants and bounties issued for pro-democracy activists since the former British colony began offering rewards on dissidents in exile in July 2023. Tuesday’s arrest warrants take the total number of wanted people to 19, including former lawmakers Dennis Kwok and Ted Hui along with prominent activists Nathan Law and Simon Cheng.

The move to add more names to Hong Kong's wanted list comes as the city strives to revive economic growth and refurbish its international reputation after a years-long crackdown on dissent that attracted global criticism.

Critics have accused the Chinese government of throttling dissent with the help of the national security laws, imposed in 2020 in the wake of pro-democacy protests, which makes it easier to arrest and detain protesters.

“[I] will not back down only because of an arrest warrant and a bounty,” Carmen Lau wrote on X. “And I hope to have every one of you standing with me in this fight for Hong Kong.”

Chloe Cheung, 19, wrote on Instagram: “Fear cannot restrain me, and suppression cannot silence me.”

The police previously warned members of the public against supporting the activists financially and told them that they risk violating the law by doing so.

Chris Tang, the security secretary, said the six activists had engaged in activities such as speeches, social media posts and lobbying for Hong Kong officials and judges to be sanctioned by foreign governments, thus endangering national security.

China’s office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong said it supported the actions, as the individuals had engaged in “anti-China” and destabilising acts. Others were deemed to have advocated independence from China for Hong Kong.

The secretary said notices with black and white photographs of the “fugitives” have been posted in public places, such as the international airport.

Nathan Law, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, earlier told The Independent that there was a heavy mental toll and “the fact that the bounty is out there is a signal of the [Hong Kong] government stepping up intimidation”.

“So the possibility of me facing a kind of cross-border abduction is getting higher and higher, just because of how diligent and aggressive the stance of the Chinese government is,” he added.

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Tuesday said: “The Hong Kong government’s latest round of arrest warrants and bounties against six Hong Kong activists is a cowardly act of intimidation that aims to silence Hong Kong people.

“We call on the UK and Canadian governments to act immediately to push back against the Hong Kong government’s attempts to threaten Hong Kongers living in their countries.”

Additional reporting by agencies