Hong Kong national security police have taken in two relatives of pro-democracy activist Carmen Lau, a former district councillor now based in the United Kingdom, for questioning. Lau is among six overseas activists wanted under the draconian National Security Law (NSL) and is accused of inciting secession and colluding with foreign forces.
At 7 a.m. on February 10, officers arrived at the residence of Lau’s 66-year-old uncle and 63-year-old aunt in Tai Wai. Both were taken to Sha Tin Police Station. The Hong Kong Police Force confirmed that the aunt and uncle were “brought in to assist with an investigation” but stated that “no arrests have been made so far.” This escalation marks the latest instance of transnational repression, as Hong Kong authorities seek to silence exiled dissidents by intimidating their families at home.
Lau, formerly a member of the now-disbanded Civic Party, has lived in exile in the U.S. since July 2021. She is currently a senior international advocacy associate at the U.S.-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, an organization that lobbies for international support for democracy and human rights in Hong Kong. According to the wanted notice issue by the Hong Kong police, Lau allegedly used social media and public speeches to advocate for Hong Kong’s independence and urged foreign governments to impose sanctions against Beijing. Hong Kong authorities have placed a HK$1 million (around US$128,500) bounty on her, offering rewards leading to her arrest.
In a separate charge, Lau is also wanted for “inciting blank votes” in the 2021 Legislative Council elections, the first election held after Beijing’s “patriots-only” overhaul, which effectively barred opposition candidates from standing.
Her case is part of a broader effort by Hong Kong authorities to extend their reach beyond the city’s borders, as they intensify efforts to silence critics abroad by targeting their families and associates at home.
Lau is one of six pro-democracy activists targeted in the latest round of arrest warrants issued in December, which also included 19-year-old Chloe Cheung, a U.K.-based activist who works with NGOs advocating for democracy in Hong Kong. The U.K.-based pollster Chung Kim-wah is also on the list. His wife, son, three siblings, and multiple staff members at the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) have also been brought in for questioning
Another target is Tony Chung, a former Hong Kong independence campaigner jailed in 2021 under the NSL before fleeing to the United Kingdom in 2023. In an Instagram post, he described it as “an honor” to be the first Hong Konger charged twice under the NSL – a comment that highlights the law’s sweeping, retrospective reach, granting Beijing the power to pursue individuals globally for actions committed beyond Hong Kong’s borders.
The December arrest warrants marked the third time Hong Kong police have sought the extradition of overseas dissidents. Previous rounds targeted figures such as former lawmakers Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok, who are accused of calling for foreign sanctions against Hong Kong officials. Among those pursued is Simon Cheng, the founder of Hongkongers in Britain, a U.K.-based group supporting exiles. A former U.K. consulate worker, Cheng was detained in Shenzhen in 2019 amid the pro-democracy protests and later granted asylum in Britain in 2020.
As well as issuing international arrest warrants, Hong Kong police have subjected the relatives and colleagues of exiled dissidents to interrogation and harassment. Pollster Robert Chung has been questioned twice after an arrest warrant was issued for his former colleague Chung Kim-wah. These tactics form part of a broader campaign of coercion, where authorities weaponize family ties and professional networks to pressure exiled activists into silence, or even compel them to return to Hong Kong and face prosecution.
The NSL was not debated in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council but imposed unilaterally by Beijing’s National People’s Congress in June 2020, bypassing local democratic processes entirely. Ostensibly introduced to restore order after the pro-democracy protests of 2019, the law instead dismantled Hong Kong’s autonomy, transforming its legal system into an extension of China’s authoritarian governance, with the city government acting as Beijing’s proxy.
It grants police sweeping new powers while criminalizing subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces, and terrorism, the latter term defined so broadly that it includes acts as minor as disrupting transport infrastructure. Most troublingly, the NSL grants Hong Kong and Chinese authorities extraterritorial jurisdiction, enabling them to pursue individuals globally for actions committed outside Hong Kong. It is this provision that underpins the current arrest warrants and bounties.
Human Rights Watch has warned that the NSL “undermines Hong Kong’s rule of law and human rights guarantees enshrined in the Basic Law,” while Amnesty International described it as a tool that has “decimated the city’s freedoms and created a landscape increasingly devoid of human rights protections.” In November 2024, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed “grave concerns” over the NSL’s sweeping breadth, warning that it criminalizes conduct protected under the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
The United Kingdom is home to thousands of Hong Kong exiles, including many targeted by the city’s overseas arrest warrants. The British government has repeatedly condemned the extraterritorial reach of the NSL and has granted political asylum to high-profile activists. However, concerns remain over China’s transnational repression tactics, including harassment and surveillance of Hong Kong dissidents on U.K. soil. There are also growing fears that U.K.-based organizations and businesses could come under political pressure to comply with Hong Kong’s authoritarian laws, while foreign influence operations seek to intimidate and silence critics within Britain’s borders.
As Hong Kong authorities continue to weaponize national security laws beyond their jurisdiction, the U.K. government faces mounting pressure to strengthen protections for political exiles and confront China’s growing campaign of transnational censorship.
Thankfully, a recognition of these threats is beginning to take shape.
The U.K.’s Joint Committee on Human Rights is currently investigating transnational repression, assessing how effectively Britain protects those at risk and whether legal or policy changes are needed. To that end, it has opened a call for evidence until February 24, 2025. With Hong Kong’s authorities targeting exiles in Britain – including through bounties, surveillance, and intimidation of family members – it is vital that campaigners, legal experts, and affected individuals submit evidence before the deadline.
