Hong Kong has offered a reward for the capture of a former UK consulate worker who escaped after being tortured.
Authorities have offered to pay HK$1,000,000 (£100,400) for tips leading to the arrest of Simon Cheng, who was granted asylum in the UK following a high-profile case in 2019.
The move was seen as a threat to British sovereignty and jurisdiction and sparked angry debate between London and Beijing on Friday.
Britain called Hong Kong’s action “a threat to our democracy and fundamental human rights” and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said he had instructed British officials in Hong Kong, Beijing and London to “raise this issue as a matter of urgency”.
China responded by saying the reward was “necessary and legitimate.”
“By cheering on these anti-China people who are harming Hong Kong, the United States and Britain are revealing their malicious intent to ruin Hong Kong,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.
Mr Cheng was one of five overseas activists Hong Kong rewarded, and authorities vowed to pursue them “to the end”.
He and Francis Hui, Joey Siu, Johnny Fok and Tony Choi fled Hong Kong after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law that imposes harsh penalties for vaguely defined crimes in a bid to crush the city’s pro-democracy movement.
Police Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah said on Thursday that the five activists are suspected of crimes including inciting secession, inciting subversion and foreign collusion, which could lead to life imprisonment.
“All those who had already fled abroad continued to commit crimes under the national security law that seriously endangered national security,” Mr. Li said.
Mr Cheng responded to the accusations on social media. He said: “I’m being hunted by China’s secret police for less than a million.[HK] The dollar award is a lifelong honor. “If the government considers the quest for democracy and freedom a crime, we will embrace the accusations to reveal the true face of social justice that does not bow to authority.”
Ms. Siu, a US citizen, pointed out that she was being followed for exercising her freedoms in her own country. “I will never be silenced, I will never back down,” she said.
Washington echoed Britain’s complaints. He said he regretted any attempt to apply the national security law outside the region and that “defenders of democracy and freedom will continue to enjoy constitutionally guaranteed freedoms” in the United States.
China is known to pursue dissidents using a network of overseas police stations, quasi-legal extensions of the Communist Party state accused of meddling in British politics.
Amnesty International said the decision was evidence that the Hong Kong authorities’ systematic dismantling of human rights had officially gone global.
“The brazen tactic of putting Wild West-style bounties on activists’ heads appears to be emerging as a preferred method of silencing dissent,” said Sarah Brooks, deputy regional director for China.
Amnesty International and other human rights groups also condemned the national security trial of Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, that begins Monday.
“This case has been an attack on freedom of the press and freedom of expression from the beginning,” Ms. Brooks said. “Hong Kong authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Jimmy Lai and quash his criminal convictions.”
Hong Kong’s controversial national security law has reshaped society in the former British colony and destroyed the legal firewall that once existed between the city and mainland China.
Hong Kong authorities claim to have the authority to hold defendants accountable anywhere in the world, although they have not specified how enforcement is possible abroad.
The rewards are the second batch of hefty rewards offered by Hong Kong police pursuing fugitives accused of national security crimes.
Eight prominent activists abroad, including pro-democracy MPs Nathan Law and Ted Hui, were identified as targets of police in July, and police offered a reward of HK$1 million each for information leading to their capture.
Mr. Lai’s son said on Friday that he thought the outcome of his father’s case had already been determined, but that he was proud of him for standing up for his beliefs.
life imprisonment
Mr. Lai faces a possible life sentence on charges that he colluded with foreign powers, including the United States. One of the most prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party leadership in Hong Kong, he has faced numerous lawsuits since a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
He is currently serving a prison sentence of five years and nine months for fraud over his newspaper’s lease dispute. Mr Lai denied all the charges he faced at his new trial.
One of his sons, Sebastien Lai, said the trial, which involved three government-appointed judges and no jury, was a sham.
“Actually, once you think about it, there is no cause for concern because this is a complete show trial. The outcome is already predetermined,” said Sebastien, who lives in Taiwan.
The Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hong Kong and Chinese officials say the city’s rule of law is robust and everyone is treated equally. Both Hong Kong and Chinese officials have said security legislation is necessary to restore stability in the former British colony.
Sebastien said he understood his father was “doing well”.
“He’s 76 years old and has been in isolation for the last three years, so I can’t imagine what this can do to a person physically and mentally,” he added.
He said he hasn’t seen his father in three years and misses simple things like family meals.
“I always go back and forth; Would I rather have my father by my side than defend the freedom of others? “And my conclusion is that I’m incredibly inspired by him and I’m very proud to have him as my father,” he said.