Hong Kong police issue arrest warrants and bounties for six activists

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Tuesday announced a fresh round of arrest warrants for six activists based overseas, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to their arrests.

According to the warrants, the six are wanted for national security offences such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. They include Tony Chung, the former leader of now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism.

U.K.-based Carmen Lau, a former district councilor and current activist with the Hong Kong Democracy Council, as well as Chloe Cheung, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, also had warrants issued against them.

The latest round of warrants signals that the Hong Kong government is targeting vocal critics based abroad.

The government had previously issued two rounds of arrest warrants and bounties for more prominent activists, including ex-lawmakers Ted Hui and Nathan Law.

The increasing number of wanted individuals abroad come as Hong Kong continues to crack down on political dissent following massive anti-government protests in 2019 that resulted in a wave of pro-democracy movements. Many outspoken pro-democracy activists have since been jailed, with others fleeing abroad.

Chung, the former Studentlocalism leader, said in a story posted to Instagram that he was “honored” to be the first Hong Konger to be accused of violating the national security law twice.

“As a staunch Hong Kong nationalist, today’s wanted notice is undoubtedly a kind of affirmation for me. In the future, I will continue to unswervingly and fearlessly promote the self-determination of Hong Kong,” he wrote.

Separately, Cheung, who is based in the U.K., 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 a regime have to be to believe that I, a 19-year-old, ordinary Hongkonger, can ‘endanger’ and ‘divide’ the country? How panicked are they that they have to put a million-dollar bounty on me?” she asked.

Lau posted on X a call for governments, including those of the U.K., U.S., and EU countries, to “impose sanctions on Hong Kong human rights perpetrators without further delay” and urged democracies to support Hong Kong’s right to self-determination.

“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,” said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch.

“The six — including two Canadian citizens — live in the U.K. and Canada. We call on the U.K. and Canadian governments to act immediately to push back against the Hong Kong government’s attempts to threaten Hong Kongers living in their countries.”

Tuesday’s arrest warrants take the total number of wanted people to 19.

Others on the list Tuesday are Chung Kim-wah, previously a senior member of independent polling organization Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute; Joseph Tay, co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho.

Separately Tuesday, the Hong Kong government issued orders for the cancellation of passports belonging to seven “absconders”, including ex-lawmakers Hui and Dennis Kwok, who are wanted under the security law.

The orders were made under Hong Kong’s domestic national security law — known as Article 23 — and also prohibits the seven from dealing with funds in Hong Kong as well as activities related to joint ventures and property.

Zen Soo, The Associated Press