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Hong Kong authorities on Christmas Eve issued a HK$1 million bounty for information regarding six overseas pro-democracy activists, including UK-based CFHK Foundation staffer Chloe Cheung. The 19-year-old stands accused of "incitement to secession" and "collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security" linked to her tireless work advocating for rule of law and basic freedoms in Hong Kong.
The reward notice for information relating to Chloe Cheung and her ‘crime.’ (Hong Kong Police Force National Security Department)
In a statement, Cheung said that she would not be intimidated or silenced by the bounty, which illustrates the scale of the threat faced by Hong Kong activists and other opponents of the Chinese Communist Party. “Fear cannot restrain me. Suppression cannot silence me. I will wear this burden with pride and without fear,” she said, adding that it is time for the British government to take meaningful steps to protect Hong Kongers living in the UK from transnational repression.
Named alongside Cheung were fellow UK-based Hong Kongers Carmen Lau, Tony Chung, and Chung Kim-wah, as well as two Canada-based counterparts. Hong Kong authorities have now issued bounties on 19 individuals, including Frances Hui, CFHK Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator. Hui was one of seven previously bountied individuals to have their Hong Kong passports revoked as part of the Christmas Eve action.
Mark Sabah, UK and EU Director at CFHK Foundation, told The Independent: “In the space of a year, she’s gone from being a teenager that participated in local Hong Kong parades and marches to a bountied individual. She works hard. She is dedicated. She is very clever and fiercely pro-Hong Kong democracy. She’s just brilliant to have on our team.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement: “We will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas, especially in the UK.
“We call on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law, including its extraterritorial reach. And we call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their targeting of individuals in the UK and elsewhere who stand up for freedom and democracy.”
Cheung also spoke with Sky News, The iPaper, CBC, the BBC World Service, as well as Cantonese outlets The Chaser and Photon Media about her reaction to the bounty.
Canada - Hong Kong
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly responded to the naming of Canada-based Hong Kongers Joseph Tay and Victor Ho on the Christmas Eve bounty list with a statement condemning the action as an act of transnational repression that would not be tolerated.
U.S. - Hong Kong
President Joe Biden on Monday signed the National Defense Authorization Act, a wide-ranging piece of legislation that extends provisions under the 2019 Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to sanction officials for activities that harm the city’s “freedom and autonomy.”
Under the law, the U.S has imposed sanctions on the former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and 10 senior figures, including John Lee, now the city’s chief executive, and Chris Tang, who is now the secretary for security.
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