Hong Kong authorities recently issued a wanted list targeting 19 pro-democracy activists living overseas, sparking strong condemnation from the international community. The governments of the United Kingdom and Australia have released statements urging the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Hong Kong government to cease their transnational crackdown on democratic activists.
On Friday, the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper jointly issued a statement condemning the CCP and Hong Kong authorities for escalating their transnational crackdown. The statement emphasized the importance of protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals residing in the UK, rebuking the Hong Kong police’s issuance of further extradition orders as damaging to the international reputation of Hong Kong.
The UK government strongly opposes the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law that undermines the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents. They called for an end to targeting dissenting voices in the UK and elsewhere for suppression by the CCP and Hong Kong authorities, pledging to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who consider the UK their home.
Among those listed in the Hong Kong authorities’ latest wanted list are four Australian citizens or residents, including Feng Chongyi, Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney; former Hong Kong legislator and practicing lawyer in Australia Jason Yiu Fung; Hong Kong’s first Legislative Council member Eddie Wong; and former member of the Hong Kong Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee and Australian lawyer Ryan Kam.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a statement on July 26 strongly condemning the CCP for openly undermining democracy and freedom of speech. Professor Feng Chongyi criticized the move as absurd, stating that the Hong Kong authorities’ actions were shameless and damaging to the city’s once great reputation as the “Pearl of the Orient.”
On July 25, Hong Kong authorities issued wanted warrants for 19 pro-democracy activists residing overseas, accusing them of participating in organizing the “Hong Kong Parliament” with the intent to overthrow CCP rule in Hong Kong, a violation of the Hong Kong National Security Law.
Former Hong Kong Legislative Council member Nathan Law, businessman and commentator Yuan Gong-Yi, and several other democracy activists were once again listed in the Hong Kong authorities’ wanted list.
This marks the fourth time that Hong Kong authorities have issued wanted lists targeting overseas Hong Kong residents. In July 2023, the CCP authorities first issued cross-border wanted orders, targeting individuals like Nathan Law and Simon Cheng, an employee of the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, with Cheng being detained by CCP authorities in Shenzhen, Guangdong during the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition protests.
The 2019 Hong Kong protests, also known as the anti-Extradition Bill Movement, saw millions of Hong Kong citizens take to the streets demanding the withdrawal of the proposed extradition bill, expressing concerns about its impact on the “one country, two systems” framework and the Hong Kong Basic Law. Protesters also called for the dismissal of charges against all anti-extradition bill protesters and the implementation of genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong.
In September of the same year, facing sustained protests and societal pressure, the Hong Kong government withdrew the extradition bill. However, they proceeded with mass arrests of protesters and in 2020, swiftly passed the Hong Kong National Security Law, leading to the arrest, detention, and conviction of individuals involved in the anti-extradition bill democracy movement.
In November of last year, following controversial trials, Hong Kong courts convicted dozens of pro-democracy leaders on charges of subversion.
According to data from the UK Home Office, approximately 150,000 Hong Kong residents have relocated to the UK under the special visa scheme launched in 2021.
The recent statement from the UK Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary reiterates the UK government’s commitment to protecting human rights, including the safety of Hong Kong democracy activists. They emphasized the UK’s dedication to human rights, rule of law, and the safety of all individuals in the UK, citing the removal of Hong Kong from the Extradition Law of 2003 as a measure to sever the extradition connection between the UK and Hong Kong.