Hong Kong authorities are offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of overseas activists
A City Hunting Its Own Exiles
In a development that shocked human rights observers and democratic governments alike, Hong Kong authorities have launched a systematic program of transnational repression targeting democracy advocates who have fled overseas. Using the extraterritorial provisions of both the 2020 National Security Law and the 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Hong Kong’s police have issued arrest warrants and offered cash bounties worth more than $127,000 each for individuals living in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
The Bounty Program: Timeline and Targets
The program began in July 2023, when the Hong Kong Police Force announced arrest warrants and bounties targeting eight democracy advocates living in the US, UK, and Australia. In December 2023, five more individuals were targeted. In December 2024, authorities issued a further round of warrants and bounties for six additional overseas activists, while canceling the passports of seven others, including some residing in the United States.
Who Is Being Hunted
The targets are not violent criminals or terrorists. They are political activists, community organizers, and advocates who left Hong Kong and continued to speak, write, and campaign for democracy from abroad. Their alleged crimes include making public statements, organizing overseas campaigns, and lobbying foreign governments. These are activities that would be protected as fundamental freedoms in any democratic country. In Hong Kong and in Beijing’s legal framework, they constitute threats to national security.
Intimidation Through Family Members
The Hong Kong Police Force has not confined its pressure to the named targets. The US State Department documented that authorities regularly questioned the Hong Kong-based family members and acquaintances of overseas activists. This tactic turns family relationships into instruments of coercion. A parent, sibling, or friend still living in Hong Kong becomes a potential hostage, subject to police questioning and surveillance, as a way of sending a message to the activist abroad.
Frozen Assets and Seized Pensions
Beyond arrest warrants and family intimidation, authorities have used financial tools to target overseas activists. The State Department documented that authorities froze bank accounts and a pension fund belonging to pro-democracy advocate Chung Kim-wah. Seizing a person’s pension is not merely a financial penalty. It is an attempt to destroy their security and punish them for political speech exercised from the safety of a democratic country.
What Transnational Repression Means
Transnational repression is the practice of authoritarian governments extending their control over citizens who have fled abroad. Freedom House and other organizations have documented its use by numerous authoritarian states, including China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Hong Kong’s use of bounties, passport cancellations, family intimidation, and asset freezes is a textbook example of the practice.
The Threat to the Rule of Law in Host Countries
When a government issues arrest warrants for political activists who are lawfully residing in another country and doing nothing illegal under that country’s laws, it is not merely threatening the individual. It is challenging the sovereignty and legal order of the host country. Democratic governments have an obligation to protect their residents from foreign government coercion, and to respond with proportionate diplomatic and legal measures when such coercion occurs.
The International Response
Some democratic governments have taken steps to protect targeted activists. The US State Department has condemned the bounty program repeatedly. The UK government has summoned Chinese ambassadors over Hong Kong issues. But the specific individuals targeted by Hong Kong’s bounty program have not consistently received the formal state protection they need and deserve.
What Protection Should Look Like
Governments hosting targeted Hong Kong activists should formally designate them as persons of interest for transnational repression protection programs. They should issue diplomatic protests to Beijing and Hong Kong authorities every time a new warrant or bounty is announced. They should impose targeted sanctions on the officials who authorized and implemented the bounty program. And they should make clear that any attempt to enforce Hong Kong warrants on their territory will be treated as a serious violation of bilateral relations.
The Courage of the Hunted
Despite the bounties, the passport cancellations, and the intimidation of their families, the vast majority of targeted overseas Hong Kong activists have not gone silent. They continue to testify before legislatures, publish reports, organize campaigns, and speak to journalists. Amnesty International has documented their work and provided them support. Human Rights Watch has amplified their testimonies. Their refusal to be silenced is itself a form of resistance that Beijing clearly did not anticipate. The bounty program reveals not strength but fear: the fear of an authoritarian government that knows ideas cannot be detained, exiled, or bought off. Democracy is not a person that can be arrested. It is a principle that travels wherever its people go.
Sin Yu Mak
Business & Consumer Affairs Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: sinyu.mak@appledaily.uk
Sin Yu Mak is a business and consumer affairs journalist with expertise in market regulation, consumer rights, and small enterprise reporting. She completed her journalism education at a respected Chinese journalism institution, where she trained in economic reporting, data literacy, and ethical standards.
Her professional experience includes reporting for Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese newspapers on consumer protection, corporate practices, retail trends, and financial transparency. Sin Yu’s work emphasizes accurate interpretation of financial data and regulatory frameworks, supported by expert commentary and verified documentation.
She has operated in fast-paced newsroom settings where financial misinformation can cause real harm, giving her strong practical experience in verification and clarity. Editors value her ability to translate technical information into accessible, fact-based reporting.
Sin Yu’s authority is reinforced by consistent publication within reputable media organizations and compliance with editorial review processes. At Apple Daily UK, she delivers trustworthy business journalism rooted in evidence, professional discipline, and public-interest reporting.
