December 24, 2024 – Today, on Christmas Eve, the National Security Police in Hong Kong added six more people to their wanted list, including Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation staffer Chloe Cheung, and issued a HK$1 million bounty on each of them for their capture.

Chloe Cheung, 19, arrived in the the UK when she was just 15 years old, having fled Hong Kong in response to threats related to her participation in the pro-democracy protests of 2019 and 2020. Chloe settled in the UK to finish her high school education. In 2023, she joined the CFHK Foundation and contributed hugely to the organisation’s outreach and engagement with media and politicians across the UK.

Joining Cheung on the December 24 bounty list are Carmen Lau, Senior International Advocacy Associate at the Hong Kong Democracy Council; Tony Chung, the former convenor of the now-disbanded pro-independence group Studentlocalism; Chung Kim-wah, 64, formerly a pollster at the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute; the artist Joseph Tay, 62, who co-founded the Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho, 69, also based in Canada.

(From left to right, top to bottom) Tony Chung, Carmen Lau, Chung Kim-wah, Chloe Cheung, Joseph Tay and Victor Ho. (HKFP). 

The six are accused of committing national security offences including inciting secession and colluding with foreign forces. Other ‘crimes’ of which they are accused include pushing for the imposition of sanctions on Hong Kong officials and other activities “hostile” to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the PRC.

In a clear-cut case of transnational repression by the CCP against Hong Kongers speaking out against the Hong Kong authorities, Steve Li, chief superintendent of the force’s National Security Department said: “The six… have wantonly joined, or formed, organisations overseas and continue to engage in activities endangering national security.” 

This latest list of bounties is the third round of arrest warrants issued since the imposition of the draconian National Security Law in 2020. In 2023, police issued arrest warrants for eight activists in July. In December, a second such list included another staffer at the CFHK Foundation, Frances Hui. 

“Fear cannot restrain me. Suppression cannot silence me. I will wear this burden with pride and without fear. This should be the moment that the British government finally stands with the people of Hong Kong – especially those living in the UK – and takes some real action to protect us from transnational repression on British soil. It is time for them to realise that their inaction in dealing with the CCP is having a real effect on people in the UK, and that their passive approach only emboldens the CCP and the Hong Kong authorities.”

“Chloe Cheung has worked tirelessly in the UK to hold accountable those responsible for the crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong. We stand behind her and will continue to support her and all those fighting for freedom in Hong Kong.

“This is the second time that the CFHK Foundation has responded to astonishing and outrageous actions by the Hong Kong authorities. Exactly one year ago, our U.S.-based colleague Frances Hui faced a similar situation also for speaking up about Hong Kong. Perhaps this new round of bounties on the heads of activists who have fled Hong Kong indicates that they are doing a good job at exposing the behaviour of CCP-backed Hong Kong officials.”