Fugitives could not evade legal liabilities by absconding HK, says govt

The SAR government on Monday emphasized the fugitives "should not have any delusion" they could evade the legal liabilities by absconding from the city, and supported the national security police in putting eight overseas-based activists on the wanted list.

"They (the fugitives) ultimately have to bear responsibility and face the sanctions of the law for their serious illegal acts endangering national security," a government spokesman said.

The spokesman added that the government supported the police in issuing arrest warrants and putting the eight persons, including former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Ted Hui Chi-fung, who allegedly violated the national security law on the wanted list.

"Endangering national security is a very serious offence and the government will fight against it in full force and pursue the liability of these persons to the end."

The Security Bureau said on Monday that as the national security law has extraterritorial effect, the police have the responsibility to pursue the liability of those who have allegedly committed offences to endanger national security.

The bureau spokesman added that the fugitive offenders have “repeatedly promoted law-defying ideas through both physical and online channels” and incited the public to support, subsidise or take part in the illegal activities.

He stated that the authorities will take all necessary measures to stop those absconders from continuing to conduct illegal activities by cutting off their crime proceeds and funding sources, while also identifying their accomplices in Hong Kong and holding them accountable.

The New York-based group Human Rights Watch condemned the targeting of overseas pro-democracy activists.

“These arrest warrants are not an indictment of these activists, but of Hong Kong’s once well-regarded law enforcement and judiciary,” said Sophie Richardson, the group's China director.

"Democracies should not only flatly reject the warrants, which authorities want upheld internationally, but they should also increase protections to those threatened by Beijing, consider imposing new sanctions, and face the reality that no mainland or Hong Kong authority will respect international legal obligations.”

UK-based advocacy group Hong Kong Watch urged the British, American and Australian governments to guarantee the safety of the accused as well as the wider Hong Kong community in their countries.

The organisation's chief executive Benedict Rogers also called on foreign governments to suspend extradition treaties with Hong Kong and China, and to introduce an Interpol early warning system to protect activists overseas.

After Beijing imposed the security law, 10 countries suspended mutual legal assistance in criminal matters with Hong Kong, including the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.

(Staff reporter, AP and AFP)

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