Hong Kong’s Security Bureau announces new measures to combat the alleged role of activists in the unofficial parliament overseas.
Hong Kong authorities have revoked the passports of 12 overseas-based activists in their ongoing crackdown on activities deemed to be threats to national security.
Following the issuance of arrest warrants last month by a local court for the 12 activists and seven other pro-democracy campaigners, the bureau announced these latest measures.
The authorities have also prohibited individuals from providing financial backing or renting properties to 16 of the “fugitives,” as well as engaging in joint ventures or partnerships with them.
The wanted activists include Chongyi Feng, an Australian citizen and professor at the University of Technology Sydney, and Sasha Gong, a United States citizen and former Voice of America journalist.
Hong Kong authorities claim that the participation of the 19 activists in the “Hong Kong Parliament” advocacy group constitutes subversion under the city’s comprehensive national security law.
A Hong Kong government spokesperson stated that the activists continued to openly engage in activities that endangered national security, while seeking refuge in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
The Hong Kong parliament condemned last month’s announcement of arrest warrants and bounties for the campaigners as a “flagrant abuse of legal instruments for political persecution.”
The group argued that these actions represented a clear escalation of Beijing’s transnational repression, extending its coercive influence beyond China’s borders and infringing upon the sovereignty of democratic nations.
Since the introduction of the sweeping national security law in 2020 in response to violent anti-government protests, Hong Kong has significantly restricted the space for dissent.
Opposition parties have effectively been removed from the city’s legislature, and public commemorations of sensitive events have been banned.
Last month, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated that 332 individuals had been arrested for national security offenses since 2020.
Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials have defended the law and additional national security legislation introduced in 2024, arguing that they are necessary to restore stability in the city after the disruptions caused by the mass protests.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/5/hong-kong-cancels-passports-bans-financial-support-for-wanted-activists?traffic_source=rss
