Hong Kong police on Tuesday introduced a recent spherical of arrest warrants for six activists primarily based abroad, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong {dollars} for data resulting in their arrests.
In line with the warrants, the six are wished for nationwide safety offences comparable to secession, subversion and collusion with international forces.
They embody Tony Chung, the previous chief of now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism. U.Okay.-based Carmen Lau, a former district councilor and present activist with the Hong Kong Democracy Council, in addition to Chloe Cheung, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, additionally had warrants issued in opposition to them.
The most recent spherical of warrants alerts that the Hong Kong authorities is concentrating on vocal critics primarily based overseas.
The federal government had beforehand issued two rounds of arrest warrants and bounties for extra distinguished activists, together with ex-lawmakers Ted Hui and Nathan Legislation.
The growing variety of wished people overseas come as Hong Kong continues to crack down on political dissent following huge anti-government protests in 2019 that resulted in a wave of pro-democracy actions. Many outspoken pro-democracy activists have since been jailed, with others fleeing overseas.
“The Hong Kong authorities’s newest spherical of arrest warrants and bounties in opposition to six Hong Kong activists is a cowardly act of intimidation that goals to silence Hong Kong folks,” mentioned Maya Wang, affiliate China director at Human Rights Watch.
“The six — together with two Canadian residents — dwell within the U.Okay. and Canada. We name on the U.Okay. and Canadian governments to behave instantly to push again in opposition to the Hong Kong authorities’s makes an attempt to threaten Hong Kongers residing of their international locations.”
Tuesday’s arrest warrants take the entire variety of wished folks to 19.
Others on the checklist Tuesday are Chung Kim-wah, beforehand a senior member of unbiased polling group Hong Kong Public Opinion Analysis Institute; Joseph Tay, co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho.
Individually Tuesday, the Hong Kong authorities issued orders for the cancellation of passports belonging to seven “absconders”, together with ex-lawmakers Hui and Dennis Kwok, who’re wished beneath the safety legislation.
The orders have been made beneath Hong Kong’s home nationwide safety legislation — referred to as Article 23 — and in addition prohibits the seven from coping with funds in Hong Kong in addition to actions associated to joint ventures and property.
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