by Hong Kong has offered a reward for the capture of a former UK consular worker who fled after being tortured.
Authorities have offered to pay HK$1,000,000 (£100,400) for tips leading to the arrest of Simon Cheng, who was granted asylum in the UK following a high-profile case in 2019.
The move was seen as a threat to British sovereignty and jurisdiction, sparking angry exchanges between London and Beijing on Friday.
Britain called the Hong Kong move “a threat to our democracy and our fundamental human rights”, and Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said he had instructed British officials in Hong Kong, Beijing and London “to raise this as a matter of urgency”.
China hit back, saying the bounty was “necessary and legitimate”.
“By aggravating these anti-China people who are terrorizing Hong Kong, the United States and Britain are revealing their malicious intentions in messing up Hong Kong,” said Mao Ning, a spokesman. of the Chinese foreign ministry.
Mr Cheng was one of five overseas activists for whom Hong Kong has issued a bounty, with authorities vowing to pursue them “to the end”.
He and Francis Hui, Joey Siu, Johnny Fok and Tony Choi all fled Hong Kong after Beijing passed a draconian national security law that introduced stiff penalties for vaguely defined offences, in an effort to mobilize the city’s to push democracy forward.
Chief Superintendent of Police Steve Li Kwai-wah said Thursday that the five activists were suspected of incitement to separatism, incitement to prejudice, and foreign collusion – crimes that can carry sentences of up to life in prison.
“All of them, who have already fled abroad, have continued to commit offenses under the national security law which seriously endanger national security,” said Mr Li.
Mr Cheng responded to the accusations on social media. He said: “Hunted by the Chinese secret police, about a million people.[HK] a dollar bounty, a lifetime honor. If the government considers it a crime to seek democracy and freedom, we accept the charges to reveal the true face of social justice, not to obey authority.”
Miss Siu, a citizen of the United States, indicated that she was being persecuted for exercising freedoms in her own country. “I will never be silent, I will never back down,” she said.
Washington echoed the British complaints. He said that any attempt to apply national security law extraterritorially was unfortunate and that “advocates for democracy and freedom will continue to enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms” in the United States.
China has been known to hunt down dissidents using a network of overseas police stations, semi-legal extensions of the Communist Party state accused of influencing British politics.
Amnesty International said the decision was further confirmation that the Hong Kong authorities’ systematic dismantling of human rights had officially gone global.
“The brazen tactic of placing Wild West-style bounties on the heads of activists appears to be emerging as a preferred method of silencing dissent,” said Sarah Brooks, deputy regional director for China.
Amnesty and other rights groups condemned the national security trial of Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and founder of the now defunct Apple Daily newspaper on Monday.
“This case was an attack on freedom of the press, and freedom of speech from the start,” Ms Brooks said. “The Hong Kong authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai and expunge his criminal convictions.”
Hong Kong’s controversial national security law has reshaped society in the former British colony and broken down the legal firewall that once existed between the city and mainland China.
It claims it has the power to hold accused people accountable around the world, although Hong Kong authorities have not specified how enforcement can be carried out abroad.
The bounties are the second batch of large rewards offered by Hong Kong police looking for a fugitive accused of national security crimes.
Eight prominent overseas activists – including pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui – were also identified in July as targets for police, who offered rewards of one million Hong Kong dollars each for information leading to that they were arrested.
Mr Lai’s son said on Friday that he thought the outcome of his father’s trial had already been decided, but that he was proud of him for standing up for his faith.
Life imprisonment
Mr. Lai faces possible life imprisonment on charges that he colluded with foreign forces, including the United States. He is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party leadership and has faced plenty of litigation since a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
He is already serving a prison term of five years and nine months on a fraud conviction over a lease dispute for his newspaper. Mr Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges he faces in his new trial.
Sebastien Lai, one of his sons, said the trial, with three government-appointed judges and no jury, was a sham.
“When you think about it there’s no worry because it’s a full show trial. The result is already predetermined,” said Sebastien, who lives in Taiwan.
The Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say the city’s rule of law is strong and everyone is treated fairly. Hong Kong and Chinese officials said security legislation was needed to restore stability to the former British colony.
Sebastien said it was his understanding that his father was “doing OK”.
“He’s 76 years old and he’s been in solitary confinement for the last three years, so I can’t imagine what that does to a person physically and mentally,” he said.
He had not seen his father for three years and said he missed simple things like family dinners.
“I always go back and forth – would I rather have my father with me instead of standing up for the freedom of others? And my conclusion is that I am very inspired by him and I am very proud that he is my father,” he said.
