The United Kingdom has strongly condemned Hong Kong authorities for offering payments in exchange for assisting in the arrest of pro-democracy activists living in Britain. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper issued a joint statement, calling on China to stop targeting opposition voices in Britain. “The Hong Kong Police Force’s issuing of further arrest warrants and bounties on individuals living in the UK is another example of transnational repression,” their statement read.
The bounties, ranging from 200,000 to one million Hong Kong dollars (approximately $25,000-$125,000), have drawn strong criticism from Western countries. China has denounced this criticism as “interference”. Lammy and Cooper emphasized that the UK government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made Britain their home, and take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously.
However, a recent proposal by the British government to reform extradition rules has prompted serious concerns. Some fear it could pave the way for a resumption of extraditions to Hong Kong, which have been suspended since the 2020 national security law was enacted. The UK Home Office has applied to Parliament to make changes to the country’s legislation regarding extradition, citing the need to prevent criminals from evading justice.
The Home Office plans to restore an extradition framework with Chile and Zimbabwe, with cases considered on a “case-by-case basis”. About 150,000 Hong Kong nationals migrated to the UK under a special visa scheme introduced in 2021. Critics argue that reinstating the extradition deal with Hong Kong could legitimize oppression and undermine the rights of Hong Kong residents in the UK.
Hong Kong’s national security law, imposed by Beijing in 2020, has led to a sharp decline in political freedoms in the city. The law has been used to crack down on dissent, with Hong Kong authorities offering bounties for the arrest of activists who have fled the city. In 2024, legislators in Hong Kong approved a new national security law, referred to as Article 23, which gives the government new powers to suppress dissent on grounds of alleged treason, espionage, sedition, and external interference.
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for China, Sarah Brooks, has condemned the bounties, stating that they “not only threaten the liberty and safety of the activists targeted; they also have far-reaching consequences on other activists who are now left feeling increasingly uncertain about their security, whether in Hong Kong or overseas”.