China has harshly accused Britain of providing shelter to “fugitive” Hong Kong activists and interfering in China’s internal affairs. “British politicians have openly offered protection to fugitives,” a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in London said on Monday evening. It was “a gross interference in Hong Kong’s rule of law and China’s internal affairs,” it said. “China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firmly rejects it.”
Hong Kong police had previously put up a bounty for information leading to the arrest of eight prominent overseas democracy activists. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had sharply criticized this.
The eight activists fled Hong Kong after Beijing enacted the so-called National Security Law for the special administrative region in mid-2020 following massive pro-democracy protests. It allows the authorities to take draconian action against protesters.
Cooperation with foreign forces can be punished with life imprisonment
The exiles have committed “very serious crimes that endanger national security,” said Steven Li, chief commissioner of China’s special administrative region’s national security department. Accordingly, one million Hong Kong dollars (equivalent to around 117,000 euros) should be paid to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of the activists.
The wanted exiles include former pro-democracy MPs Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Ted Hui Chi-fung and Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, trade unionist Mung Siu-tat and other activists. Some of them now live in the UK.
They are accused of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security – an offense punishable by life imprisonment in Hong Kong. Police official Li said Hong Kong police could not arrest the eight people while they were overseas. But it will “not stop pursuing them”.
London vows to ‘defend freedom of expression’
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly responded to the bounty by saying Britain “will not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence people in the UK and overseas”. London will “always defend the right to freedom of expression”.
Britain had sharply criticized China for undermining rights in the former British crown colony of Hong Kong. In 2020, London suspended its extradition deal with Hong Kong to protest China’s introduction of the controversial security law.
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