China accuses UK of harbouring Hong Kong fugitives

China says the UK is sheltering fugitives aft Hong Kong enactment bounties connected the heads of 8 pro-democracy activists who fled the territory.

The connection from its London embassy came aft the UK said it would not tolerate attempts by China to soundlessness individuals successful the UK oregon overseas.

The 8 near the erstwhile British territory aft Beijing imposed a sweeping nationalist information instrumentality successful 2020.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee said they would beryllium "pursued for life".

He urged them to springiness themselves up, adding that different they would walk their days successful fear.

"British politicians person openly offered extortion for fugitives," a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy successful London said precocious connected Monday, condemning what it alleged was "crude interference successful Hong Kong's regularisation of instrumentality and China's interior affairs".

On Monday a bounty of HK$1m (£100,581; $127,637) was offered for the activists' arrest.

The 8 named successful the announcement are each based successful the UK, the US and Australia - countries which bash not person extradition treaties with China.

Nathan Law, who lives successful the UK said helium needed to beryllium "more careful" astir divulging his whereabouts arsenic a effect of the bounty.

The 8 activists targeted are accused of colluding with overseas forces - a transgression that tin transportation a condemnation of beingness successful prison. The offence comes nether Hong Kong's draconian information law, which was imposed 3 years agone aft widespread pro-democracy protests took spot successful 2019.

Beijing has said the information instrumentality is needed to bring stableness to the city, but critics accidental it is designed to squash dissent.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: "We telephone connected Beijing to region the nationalist information instrumentality and for the Hong Kong authorities to extremity their targeting of those who basal up for state and democracy."

Under the law, hundreds of pro-democracy campaigners person been arrested and convicted successful Hong Kong. 

Mr Law, 1 of the astir salient figures successful the pro-democracy movement, said that portion helium felt his concern was "relatively safe" successful the UK, helium would person to beryllium much vigilant astir divulging his whereabouts oregon erstwhile transiting done definite countries.

"All these things whitethorn enactment my beingness successful to unsafe situations if I'm not cautious capable of who I conscionable oregon wherever I go. It makes maine person to unrecorded successful a much cautious life."

One of the different exiled activists - Anna Kwok, enforcement manager of the Hong Kong Democracy Council - said the bounty was aimed astatine intimidating her and her chap activists.

She said successful a connection they were each "united successful our combat for state and ideology successful our home, Hong Kong".

She told the BBC's Newshour programme she had felt archetypal daze connected proceeding of the bounties but wanted to talk out.

"That's precisely the benignant of happening the Hong Kong authorities and the Chinese Communist enactment would bash - which is to intimidate radical into not doing anything, silencing them.

"And that's wherefore instantly I thought OK, I should marque this a large happening and I should decidedly speech astir the transnational repression that's going connected present and besides the scare tactics - arsenic good arsenic however the Hong Kong authorities is conscionable trying to spot by which constituent would the planetary assemblage smack their hands and archer them to backmost off."

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her authorities was "deeply disappointed" by the announcement and said Australia "remains profoundly acrophobic by the continuing erosion of Hong Kong's rights, freedoms and autonomy".

The US State Department said the determination sets "a unsafe precedent that threatens the quality rights and cardinal freedoms of radical each implicit the world".

The different six activists named successful the announcement are Ted Hui, Dennis Kwok, Mung Siu-tat, Elmer Yuen, Finn Law and Kevin Yam.

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