March 13, 2025 – Yesterday, Chloe Cheung, Public Affairs and Advocacy Junior Manager of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation, testified before the British Parliament on her experience of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-led transnational repression.
Speaking before the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) inquiry into transnational repression, Cheung shared her personal experience of being targeted by the Hong Kong authorities for her work in calling for democracy and freedom in Hong Kong and pressing for the release of political prisoners like Jimmy Lai, Chow Hang-Tung, Gwyneth Ho, and others.
Chloe Cheung gave oral testimony to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into transnational repression. (UK parliament TV)
In December 2024, when Cheung was 19 years old, the Hong Kong authorities issued a HK$1 million bounty in retaliation for her activism and impact calling for sanctions on officials involved in the city’s national security crackdown. She has been charged with two crimes under Hong Kong’s National Security Law: incitement to secession and collusion with foreign forces, both relating entirely to her work for the CFHK Foundation on UK soil.
During her testimony, Cheung detailed the tactics deployed by the CCP to extend their repression beyond Chinese borders, threatening UK sovereignty. She described how she has suffered from state-orchestrated intimidation and threats, both online and in person, including being followed, photographed, and harassed. Cheung urged the UK government to “impose stronger diplomatic consequences on states engaging in transnational repression, including China, Russia, and Iran, which have repeatedly attempted to intimidate and silence political dissidents abroad.”
The JCHR is chaired Lord Alton of Liverpool, who has raised concerns about transnational repression in the UK on many occasions and called for stronger action to be taken by the British government in providing security for those under attack. Other members of the Committee who attended the session included Juliet Campbell MP, Lord Dholakia, Tom Gordon MP, Paul Kohler MP, Baroness Kennedy, Afzal Khan MP, Baroness Lawrence, Lord Murray, Alex Sobel MP, Peter Swallow MP, and Desmond Swayne MP.
Cheung is one of 10 UK-based Hong Kongers who have now received bounties from the Hong Kong authorities. Since 2023, 19 people in Australia, Canada, and the U.S., as well as the UK, have been issued with similar reward notices. Since receiving her bounty, she has met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Minister for Indo-Pacific Catherine West to discuss the issue of transnational repression and how it affects Hong Kongers who have settled in the UK.
Chloe Cheung, CFHK Foundation Public Affairs and Advocacy Junior Manager, said:
“The UK government must finally act against transnational repression by imposing targeted Magnitsky-style sanctions on the individuals and entities involved, including those responsible for issuing bounties, conducting surveillance, and threatening activists on UK soil.
It must also adopt a coordinated, whole-of-government framework to assess and respond to the growing threat of transnational repression. This framework should facilitate collaboration between the Home Office, Foreign Office, Ministry of Justice, MI5, and law enforcement agencies to ensure victims are protected and supported.”
