Hong Kong authorities have questioned three family members of exiled democracy activist Nathan Law, a week after issuing a bounty on him and seven others accused of breaching the city’s national security law. The individuals were taken in for investigation by the police’s national security department. Although their names were not disclosed, they are suspected of assisting wanted individuals in engaging in activities that endanger national security. The police source stated that Law’s parents and elder brother were brought in for questioning and that Law’s residence was searched. The purpose of the investigation was to determine if they provided financial support to Law and if they were acting as his agents in Hong Kong.
Law, who was granted asylum in Britain in 2021, has denied any financial connection with the individuals in question and asserted that his work is unrelated to them. The authorities in Hong Kong have offered rewards for information leading to the arrests of eight prominent democracy activists living abroad. They have accused them of subversion, foreign collusion, and other crimes. City leader John Lee has urged the public to avoid the wanted activists and to treat them as rats in the street. This recent development follows the arrests of five men in Hong Kong for allegedly supporting the wanted activists.
Law has previously criticized Hong Kong’s abuse of the concept of national security to suppress dissenting voices. Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of pro-democracy protests in the city. Since then, the police have arrested 260 individuals under this law, with 79 of them either convicted or awaiting sentencing. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where the wanted activists reside, have criticized the bounties offered by Hong Kong authorities.
