17 hours ago
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The UK has condemned the latest cash offer from Hong Kong authorities for people who help in the arrest of pro-democracy activists living in Britain.
In a joint statement, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the move as "another example of transnational repression".
People are being offered between $25,000 (HK$200,000) and $125,000 for information leading to the arrest of 19 individuals, all of whom are pro-democracy activists living abroad.
China has denounced as "interference" criticism over this type of appeal, which it has made three times previously.
The 19 people are accused of violating Beijing's national security law imposed in 2020 in response to the 2019 anti-government protests that rocked the city for months.
The amounts on offer vary depending on the individual. Among the highest offers on the list are those for Choi Ming-da and Fok Ka-chi, who Hong Kong police said operated a social media channel named "Tuesdayroad".
Politician Nathan Law – who had been a lawmaker on the Legislative Council of Hong Kong – and activist and commentator Yuan Gong-Yi also appear on the lists.
The first such rewards were issued in July and December 2023. They targeted Mr Law - who told the BBC that his life became more dangerous after a bounty was announced - and Simon Cheng, a former UK consulate employee detained in 2019 in a high-profile case.
The third series of rewards targeted six pro-democracy activists living in the UK and Canada, including Tony Chung, the former leader of a pro-independence group.
A special visa scheme introduced in 2021 saw around 150,000 Hong Kong residents move to the UK, according to the Home Office.
The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa route, which is open to holders of a British National (Overseas) passport and their immediate dependents, has offered a fast track to UK citizenship.
The British National (Overseas) status was created before the UK handed responsibility for Hong Kong - which used to be a British colony - back to China in 1997.
The BNO passport is essentially a travel document that does not carry citizenship rights with it - although you are entitled to some consular assistance outside of Hong Kong and China with it.
Those who have applied for and secured the visa will be able to apply for settlement after five years and then British citizenship after a further 12 months.
In November last year a Hong Kong court sentenced dozens of pro-democracy leaders to years in jail for subversion, following a controversial national security trial.
In their statement in response to the latest bounty, Ms Cooper and Mr Lammy said: "This government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made the UK their home.
"We take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously."
Their joint statement added: "The UK is committed to human rights, the rule of law, and the safety of all individuals in the UK.
"That's why we have taken further steps to complete the severing of ties between the UK and Hong Kong extradition systems by removing Hong Kong from the Extradition Act 2003."
