The Hong Kong Police Drive confirmed that opposition activist Agnes Chow Ting is listed as needed, on the year-end press conference held on Tuesday.
Chow not too long ago accomplished her jail sentence of 10 months based mostly on her convictions for one depend of “participating in an unauthorized meeting with out lawful authority or affordable excuse” and one depend of “incitement to participate in an unauthorized meeting” for her participation protests surrounding police headquarters in June 2019. The Hong Kong Police Nationwide Safety Division (NSD) confirmed that Chow did not fulfil bail situations to return to Hong Kong in December, and a warrant has been issued in opposition to Chow. The NSD beforehand allowed Chow to check in Canada however required her to return to Hong Kong in December 2023 after the tip of the time period. In early December, Chow claimed that she determined to skip bail. The NSD condemned her resolution and referred to as upon her to return voluntarily to Hong Kong after discovering the assertion she made on-line.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nationwide Safety Kan Kai-yan referred to as upon different exiled activists to be chargeable for their unlawful actions and switch themselves in. Aside from Chow, there are at the moment 13 opposition activists who’re needed by the NSD for allegedly committing offences underneath the Hong Kong Nationwide Safety Regulation (NSL). Eight of them have been needed since July 2023, the primary time Hong Kong provided bounties with respect to NSL.
In December 2023, the NSD listed 5 different abroad activists as needed individuals. They had been allegedly concerned in “incitement to secession,” “incitement to subversion” and “collusion with a international nation or with exterior parts to hazard nationwide safety.” They embody Cheng Man-kit, Hui Wing-tung, Siu Joey, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da. They’re all allegedly concerned in selling Hong Kong independence and calling upon different nations to sanction Chinese language and Hong Kong authorities officers on social media platforms.
The police additionally mentioned that 290 individuals had been arrested underneath the NSL as of the tip of December 2023 and 60 p.c of them have been charged. Safeguarding nationwide safety is the primary commissioner’s operational priority in 2024.
Relatedly, the federal government commenced a one-month public consultation period for a brand new native nationwide safety laws in January. Former president of the Hong Kong Legislative Council Jasper Tsang criticised the seditious crimes part as over-broadly written. The Secretary for Justice Paul Lam rebutted that declare, stating that judicial precedents on seditious crimes concerned solely extremist speech such because the promotion of Hong Kong independence or the disruption of constitutional order. He additional contended that the brand new offences wouldn’t excessively restrict the liberty of speech loved by Hong Kong residents.
