{"id":12609,"date":"2024-01-10T12:53:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T12:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=12609"},"modified":"2024-01-10T12:53:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T12:53:02","slug":"hong-kong-police-targeting-overseas-activists-and-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=12609","title":{"rendered":"Hong Kong Police Targeting Overseas Activists and Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\n“Hong Kong is using its national security law to arrest and prosecute critics residing in the United States. The Hong Kong police recently announced<\/a> cash bounties of HK$1 million ($128,000) for information leading to the arrest of five young activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The targets\u2014Frances Hui, Joey Siu, Simon Cheng, Johnny Fok, and Tony Choi\u2014have all lawfully left Hong Kong and reside in countries that celebrate and guarantee their right to speak freely. There are now 13 overseas activists wanted by the region’s police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are all accused of violating Hong Kong’s national security law, which was enacted in 2020 and has since been used to clamp down on political dissent. According to Amnesty International<\/a>, the law has been “abused from day one” to curb legitimate and peaceful expression. The maximum sentence<\/a> is life in prison.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our protections for free speech cannot be so shallow that they yield to foreign governments that try to criminalize conduct on our soil. The U.S. and other Western countries must protect these activists against long-arm authoritarianism and secure their ability to live and speak freely without fear for their safety.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hong Kong Police Targeting Overseas Activists and Speech<\/a><\/blockquote>