Rights Groups Urge Ottawa to Sanction Hong Kong Officials Over ‘Repressive Policies’

A riot police officer (C) stands guard during a clearance operation during a demonstration in a mall in Hong Kong on July 6, 2020, in response to a new national security law introduced in the city that makes political views, slogans, and signs advocating Hong Kong's independence or liberation illegal. Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images

A coalition of rights groups is urging Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly to impose targeted sanctions on key Hong Kong officials responsible for issuing bounties on pro-democracy activists in exile and fuelling Beijing’s transnational repression.

In an open letter dated Feb. 24, the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM) urged sanctions under the Magnitsky Law against six Hong Kong officials for playing key roles in “enforcing the region’s repressive policies, undermining judicial independence, and facilitating the persecution of pro-democracy activists.”

This comes after Hong Kong police issued bounties last December for six pro-democracy activists who have left the city amid Beijing’s tightening control. Two Canadians are among those on the wanted list: Victor Ho, a veteran journalist, and Joseph Tay, founder of the advocacy platform HongKonger Station and a current contestant for the federal Conservative Party nomination in the Ontario riding of Markham-Unionville.

Joe Tay, a singer and actor who moved from Hong Kong to Canada, is seen in a file photo. He is now vying for the Conservative Party nomination in the Ontario riding of Markham—Unionville. Courtesy of Joe Tay

Journalist Victor Ho poses for a photograph in Richmond, B.C., on Aug. 24, 2022. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

In 2023, Hong Kong police also issued arrest warrants and bounties for Dennis Kwok, a former Hong Kong politician born in Canada, along with seven other pro-democracy activists who fled the city after its legislature introduced its national security law. The law is widely seen as an erosion of the city’s democracy and a suppression of fundamental rights.

“This illustrates the extent of the transnational repression and extraterritorial overreach by the Hong Kong government. These actions, which criminalize dissent and intimidate individuals abroad, demand a strong response from Canada,” VSSDM Chair Edmund Leung wrote in the letter.

In response to Hong Kong police’s December bounty on Canadians, Global Affairs Canada issued a statement condemning the move and calling for the repeal of the “Beijing-imposed National Security Law.” “This attempt by Hong Kong authorities to conduct transnational repression abroad, including by issuing threats, intimidation or coercion against Canadians or those in Canada, will not be tolerated,” the department said.

The Hong Kong officials named by the VSSDM as perpetrators of these repressive actions include:

• Paul Lam Ting-kwok, secretary for justice, who signed an order mandating the trial of 47 pro-democracy activists without a jury, which VSSDM said undermines Hong Kong’s longstanding commitment to jury trials.

• Chris Tang Ping-keung, secretary for security, who invoked the controversial “Safeguarding National Security Ordinance,” imposing special measures against former pro-democracy lawmakers and activists, including travel bans, asset freezes, and passport cancellations.

• Raymond Siu Chak-yee, commissioner of police, who led the Hong Kong Police in offering the HK$1 million (approximately CA$185,000) bounties for the capture of activists abroad and using the national security law to pursue exiled political dissidents.

• Andrew Kan Kai-yan, deputy commissioner of police, who authorized the freezing of bank accounts belonging to the six activists and issued public warnings against supporting them financially.

• Steve Li Kwai-wah, chief superintendent of the National Security Department, who accused the six wanted individuals of engaging in activities endangering national security, which VSSDM said exemplifies “the misuse of the NSL to suppress dissent abroad.”

• John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of Hong Kong, whose administration implemented the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in 2024 under Hong Kong’s Basic Law Article 23 and facilitated arbitrary arrests and the erosion of fundamental freedoms, according to VSSDM.

The group has also called for sanctions against members of Hong Kong’s judiciary, including Justice Chan Kwong-chi, who presided over the controversial 2019 Yuen Long attack case. In the attack, a mob stormed the Yuen Long railway station and assaulted pro-democracy protesters. The case saw pro-democracy defendants disproportionately penalized, while those aligned with pro-Beijing groups received light sentences, which VSSDM said undermined “judicial independence and public trust in the rule of law.”

A policeman fires tear gas to disperse protesters during a demonstration in the district of Yuen Long in Hong Kong on July 27, 2019. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Under the Magnitsky Act, Canada can impose targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on foreign officials found to be complicit in significant human rights abuses or corruption. VSSDM also urged Ottawa to collaborate with international allies to hold these individuals accountable and strengthen the global call for justice.

“The actions of these officials constitute a direct attack on the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Canada has a moral and legal obligation to respond decisively. By imposing these sanctions, Canada will send a strong message to the world that it stands firmly against human rights abuses and authoritarian overreach,” the group said.