The Hong Kong government is facing international criticism after it announced on Dec. 24 a fresh round of arrest warrants for six pro-democracy campaigners and revoked the passports of seven others.
Chris Tang, Hong Kong’s security secretary, accused the six pro-democracy activists of committing crimes, from incitement to secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces.
Tang said the six had compromised natural security by advocating for Hong Kong officials and judges to be sanctioned by foreign governments via speeches, social media posts, and lobbying.
Four are UK-based individuals: Chung Kim-wah, 64, a former pollster at the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute; Tony Chung, 23, a former convener of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism in Hong Kong; Chloe Cheung, 19, a current activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation; and Carmen Lau, 29, a former district councilor in Hong Kong and current senior international advocacy associate with the Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC).
In response to questions from The Epoch Times, a U.S. State Department spokesperson denounced the new bounties and passport cancellations targeting overseas pro-democracy activists.
“We call on the Hong Kong government to stop using its national security laws to silence dissent,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
In a statement, Lau said she considered serving the people of Hong Kong and fighting for their freedom and democracy as her “lifelong duties” ever since she decided to run for an ultimately successful campaign as a district councilor in Hong Kong in 2019.
“As a member of the diaspora and as a Hong Konger, I have pledged to put our collective crusade for Hong Kong’s future before anything else—even myself,” Lau said. “I am not about to back down now just because of an arrest warrant and a bounty.”
Lau urged the British government to “reassess its strategy for combating Beijing-directed transnational repression that targets Hong Kongers” and join allies in imposing targeted, Magnitsky-style sanctions on “Hong Kong human-rights offenders” immediately. She did not name any individuals.
On Instagram, Cheung wrote: “Fear cannot restrain me, and suppression cannot silence me. With this wanted warrant, I will only become braver and stronger.”
Passports
Separately, also on Tuesday, Tang exercised the powers via the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23, and canceled the passports belonging to seven “absconders,” for whom bounties had already been issued.The seven included former lawmakers Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok. The others were Anna Kwok, Elmer Yuen, Kevin Yam, Frances Hui, and Joey Siu.
Yam and Ted Hui are currently in Australia, while the others are in the United States.
“The cancellation of my passport is a clear attempt by the government to prevent me from engaging in international advocacy, silencing my efforts to raise awareness about the ongoing repression in Hong Kong,” Kwok, current executive director of HKDC, said in a statement.
“It sends a chilling message to those still in Hong Kong—no one is exempt from the escalating repression that threatens anyone who dares to challenge the regime.
“We must resist the fear the government attempts to instill in our lives.”
“As an American who is continuously targeted by Hong Kong authorities, first under the National Security Law, then ongoing transnational repression, and now with Article 23, I believe that the federal government’s response has been insufficient,” Siu said.
Siu called on President Joe Biden to expand and extend the current Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Hong Kong Citizens program for four more years before leaving office and urged President-elect Donald Trump to keep the program.
“I call on the [international] community to once again hold CCP accountable for its intensifying repression,” she said.
International Criticism
Hong Kong’s decision to revoke seven activists’ passports brought reproval from democratic countries.“The continued failure of the international community to hold China accountable for the dismantling of Hong Kong’s freedoms exacerbates transnational repression,” IPAC said.
“We call on the Hong Kong government to stop using its national security laws to silence dissent,” May wrote.
“The EU calls on China to respect its international commitments and the ‘one country, two systems’ principle,” Anouni said.
“The EU urges the Hong Kong authorities to stop the crackdown on pro-democracy forces and to uphold fundamental freedoms as enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law.”
Megan Khoo, policy director of Hong Kong Watch, said the Hong Kong government’s actions “are clear attempts of transnational repression,” according to a statement.
“We call on the U.S., UK, Canadian, and Australian governments to urgently respond by imposing targeted sanctions on the Hong Kong officials responsible and by strengthening measures to counter such extraterritorial intimidation,” Khoo said.
