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US, UK slam Hong Kong for offering bounties on five wanted activists

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Images of five activists Simon Cheng, Frances Hui, Joey Siu, Johnny Fok, and Tony Choi are displayed during a press conference to issue arrest warrants. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hong Kong police offered bounties on Dec 14 for information leading to the capture of five overseas activists accused of national security crimes, drawing prompt rebukes from the United States and Britain.


The city’s authorities said the five wanted individuals, all now living abroad, would be pursued “till the end” as they offered HK$1 million (S$170,500) bounties for help catching them.


The five fled after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the financial hub in 2020 to quash dissent after massive pro-democracy protests.


The bounties are the second batch of hefty rewards offered by Hong Kong police pursuing fugitives accused of national security law and were immediately criticised by Washington and London.


The US said it strongly condemned the move, while Britain called it “a threat to our democracy and fundamental human rights”.


UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron added he had instructed British officials in Hong Kong, Beijing and London to “raise this issue as a matter of urgency”.


US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said “Advocates for democracy and freedom will continue to enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms” in the United States.


“We deplore any attempt to apply the Beijing-imposed National Security Law extra-territorially, and reiterate that Hong Kong authorities have no jurisdiction within United States borders,” he added.


Hong Kong police Chief Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah said the five were suspected of incitement to secession, incitement to subversion, and foreign collusion – crimes that can carry sentences of up to life in prison.



“All of them, who have already fled overseas, have continued to commit offences under the national security law that seriously endanger national security,” Mr Li told a news conference.


He said they “betrayed their country, betrayed Hong Kong, disregarded the interests of Hong Kong people, and continue to endanger national security even when abroad”.


Among them was prominent activist Simon Cheng, who is currently in Britain and is the founder of the civil society group Hongkongers in Britain.


The other four identified were Frances Hui, Joey Siu, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da.


Responding on social media, Ms Siu said she was a US citizen and that she was targeted for exercising freedoms “in my own country”.


“I will never be silenced, I will never back down,” she wrote.


Mr Cheng also said on social media: “If the government deems the quest for democracy and freedom a crime, we embrace the charges to reveal the genuine face of social justice.”


Ms Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Greater China, said the bounties “only compound the already existing climate of fear”.


“The placement of a bounty under the guise of national security charges is an act of intimidation that transcends borders and aims to silence dissent everywhere,” she said, urging the bounties to be withdrawn.


Mr Cheng and Mr Hui were granted asylum in Britain and the United States, respectively.


In his condemnation, Mr Cameron said Hong Kong police had “again targeted individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression”.


“We will not tolerate any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK,” he added, urging Beijing to repeal the national security law and “end its persecution of political activists”.


The law – which has reshaped Hong Kong society and broken down the legal firewall that once existed between the city and mainland China – claims the power to hold accused people accountable across the world.


However, Hong Kong authorities have not specified how enforcement abroad is possible.


Eight prominent activists also overseas – including pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui – were identified in July as targets for the police, which offered bounties of HK$1 million each for information leading to their capture.


Police also announced on Thursday they had arrested two men and two women, aged between 29 and 68, in Hong Kong for “providing pecuniary assistance” to Law and Hui.


Those people were suspected of paying sums of up to HK$120,000 to the duo on online crowdfunding platforms, Li said, without identifying the site.



At least 30 people in Hong Kong had already been questioned by police over their alleged ties to the eight activists.


Hong Kong leader John Lee – who has been sanctioned by the United States for his role as security chief during the 2019 pro-democracy protests – has said the wanted activists would be “pursued for life” and called on them to surrender.



Source: AFP



美國、英國抨擊香港懸賞五名通緝活動人士



12 月 14 日,香港警方懸賞緝拿五名被指控犯有國家安全罪的海外活動人士,此舉立即遭到美國和英國的譴責。


該市當局表示,目前居住在國外的五名通緝犯將被追捕“到底”,他們懸賞 100 萬港元(17 萬新元)以幫助抓捕他們。


2020年,北京在香港金融中心實施了一項全面的國家安全法,以鎮壓大規模民主抗議活動後的異議,之後五人逃離。


這是香港警方追捕涉嫌違反國家安全法的逃犯的第二批巨額懸賞,立即遭到華盛頓和倫敦的批評。


美國表示強烈譴責此舉,而英國則稱其「對我們的民主和基本人權構成威脅」。


英國外交大臣戴維·卡梅倫補充說,他已指示香港、北京和倫敦的英國官員「緊急提出這個問題」。


美國國務院發言人馬修米勒表示,「民主和自由的倡導者將繼續在美國享有憲法保障的自由」。


他補充說: “我們對任何在域外實施北京實施的國家安全法的企圖表示遺憾,並重申香港當局在美國境內沒有管轄權。”



香港警察總警司李桂華表示,這五人涉嫌煽動分裂國家、煽動顛覆國家政權和勾結外國罪,這些罪行最高可判處無期徒刑。


李克強在新聞發布會上表示: “他們都已經逃亡海外,繼續實施違反國家安全法的犯罪行為,嚴重危害國家安全。”


他說,他們「背叛了國家,背叛了香港,罔顧香港人的利益,即使在國外也繼續危害國家安全」。


其中包括著名活動人士鄭文傑,他目前身在英國,是英國民間團體「香港人」的創辦人。


其他四人分別是許慧嫻、蕭祖、霍家智和蔡明達。


蕭女士在社群媒體上回應稱,她是美國公民,她因「在自己的國家」行使自由而成為目標。


「我永遠不會沉默,我永遠不會退縮,」她寫道。


鄭先生還在社交媒體上表示: “如果政府認為追求民主和自由是犯罪,我們接受指控,以揭示社會正義的真實面目。”


國際特赦組織大中華區副主任薩拉布魯克斯女士表示,這些賞金「只會加劇已經存在的恐懼氣氛」。


她說:「以國家安全罪名為幌子懸賞是一種超越國界的恐嚇行為,目的是壓制各地的異議。」她敦促撤回懸賞。


鄭先生和許先生分別在英國和美國獲得庇護。


卡麥隆在譴責中表示,香港警方「再次針對行使其言論自由權的個人」。


他補充說:「我們不會容忍任何外國勢力恐嚇、騷擾或傷害英國個人或社區的任何企圖。」他敦促北京廢除國家安全法並「結束對政治活動人士的迫害」。


這項法律重塑了香港社會,打破了香港與中國大陸之間曾經存在的法律防火牆,並聲稱有權追究世界各地被告的責任。


然而,香港當局並未具體說明如何在國外執行。


八名同樣在海外的知名活動人士——包括民主派立法會議員羅冠聰和許紹峰——在 7 月被警方確定為目標,警方懸賞每人 100 萬港元,以抓捕他們。


警方週四還宣布,他們在香港逮捕了兩名男子和兩名女子,年齡介乎 29 至 68 歲,罪名是向羅和許「提供金錢援助」。


李說,這些人涉嫌在線上眾籌平台上向兩人支付了高達 12 萬港元的資金,但沒有透露具體網站。


香港至少有 30 人因涉嫌與這八名活動人士有聯繫而受到警方訊問。


香港領導人李家超因在 2019 年民主抗議活動中擔任安全部門負責人而受到美國制裁,他表示,通緝的活動人士將被“終身通緝”,並呼籲他們自首。

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