Hong Kong police have launched a search for 30 pro-democracy activists, including former lawmakers Ted Hui Chi-fung and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang, living abroad over violation of the city's draconian National Security Law.
According to an exclusive report by South China Morning Post, Ted had fled Hong Kong for Britain in late November and Leung left for the United States on November 30.
"[Those on the wanted list] are Hongkongers, but they are not in the city. Most of them are now in Europe, the United States and Taiwan," a police insider said.
Till now, several pro-democracy activists have been arrested since the Chinese Communist Party imposed the security law in Hong Kong.
Citing a source, SCMP said that the 30 people include some overseas-based activists, while the others had left the city through legal immigration channels before or after the enactment of the law.
Besides Ted and Leung, the others include activist Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang, a former spokesman of the Hong Kong Higher Institutions International Affairs Delegation, who lobbied support for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and student Brian Leung Kai-ping, who fled to the US after he joined other protesters in storming the Legislative Council during social unrest on July 1 last year, and was the only one among them to remove his mask while inside the chamber, SCMP reported.
These people have been accused of "inciting secession or collusion with foreign and external forces to endanger national security, or taking part in activities considered illegal under the new".
Ever since Beijing imposed its national security law on Hong Kong in June, several former lawmakers and activists have fled the territory to speak out for their rights.
The draconian National Security Law imposed on the city by Beijing criminalizes secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces and carries with it strict prison terms. It came into effect from July 1.
Several of those disqualified were sitting lawmakers, who were subsequently ejected from the parliament by Beijing overruling constitutional precedent and bypassing Hong Kong's courts on November 11, sparking the mass resignation of the entire pro-democratic camp.
( With inputs from ANI )
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