Two ministers in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government are condemning Hong Kong police’s new arrest warrants for 19 overseas-based activists and their offer of rewards for information leading to their capture.
Officers have accused the activists of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing.
In a joint statement Saturday afternoon, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said “the actions taken by Hong Kong threaten the sovereignty of Canada and security of the people in this country.”
“This attempt by Hong Kong authorities to conduct transnational repression abroad, including by issuing threats, intimidation or coercion against Canadians or those in Canada, will not be tolerated.”
On Friday, a Hong King police statement said the group, called Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a “Hong Kong constitution,” alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China’s fundamental system or overthrow the institutions in power in the city or China.
At the request of police, the city’s court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others.
They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group.
While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Toronto in 2022 and its influence is limited.
Anand and Anandasangaree said the people targeted by Hong Kong authorities “include Canadians and people with close ties to Canada.”
The ministers also said Canada reiterates previous calls to repeal the national security law and withdraw all related warrants and bounties.
Ministers say bounties amplified online
Among the 19 activists, police have already offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($174,580 Cdn) for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when warrants for separate activities were issued.
For the remaining 15 people, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars ($34,915 Cdn) were offered, urging residents to provide information about the case or the people.
Victor Ho, one of the Canadian activists recently targeted by Hong Kong, spoke with CBC News about why the bounty for his arrest won’t stop him from continuing his pro-democracy work.
Anand and Anandasangaree said this “marks the third time that international bounties were issued by Hong Kong and represents a deeply troubled escalation in the use of transnational repression by the People’s Republic of China.”
In their statement, the ministers added that Rapid Response Mechanism Canada, which supports Canada’s global push to counter foreign state-sponsored disinformation, detected the bounties were being amplified “in an inauthentic and co-ordinated way” through online accounts targeting Chinese-speaking communities.
Hong Kong authorities have issued other arrest warrants over the past two years for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui.
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