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2mo ago

Australia Condemns Bounty Letters Targeting Pro-Democracy Activist Kevin Yam

The Australian government has raised concerns with Hong Kong and China over anonymous letters offering a reward for information on Yam, an Australian citizen wanted under Hong Kong's national security law.

Australian lawyer Kevin Yam, who is among eight overseas-based Hong Kong activists who have bounties on them by Hong Kong authorities for alleged breaches of a Hong Kong national security law, poses for a photo in Sydney, Australia July 6, 2023. Yam, an Australian citizen, left Hong Kong in 2022 to return to live in Australia. He says he exercised his democratic rights in Australia to raise awareness of Hong Kong?s situation. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File photo
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia Penny Wong addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly hall at United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File photo
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In 2023, Hong Kong began to offer HK$1 million bounties for information leading to the arrest of pro-democracy activists living overseas

Overview

  • Anonymous letters offering a HK$1 million bounty for information on Kevin Yam were sent to Melbourne addresses, referencing Hong Kong police contacts.
  • The Australian government has strongly condemned the letters, calling them a violation of national sovereignty and raising the issue with Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
  • Kevin Yam, a pro-democracy activist and Australian citizen, has vowed to continue his life in Melbourne and stated he will not voluntarily return to Hong Kong.
  • The letters resemble similar intimidation tactics reported in the UK targeting other Hong Kong activists, raising concerns about a broader transnational effort.
  • Australia suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 2020, citing erosion of the rule of law following the imposition of the national security law.