In Hong Kong, wanted suspects can fetch a high price. Information leading to the prosecution of a man accused of murder can lead to a reward of HK$300,000 (£30,200). For two men wanted in connection with an arson case that killed 17 people, the incentive goes up to HK$400,000. But the highest prize goes to those who can help capture eight overseas-based pro-democracy activists who are accused of violating Hong Kong’s national security law. For them, the bounties are HK$1m each.
For several of the accused, the warrants came as no surprise. Ted Hui, a former pro-democracy politician who is now living in Australia, was notified in February via his lawyers that a magistrate had issued a warrant for his arrest on national security charges. In 2020, Nathan Law, a former legislator who was granted asylum in the UK, was among six exiled activists who were the first to be targeted by the widely criticised national security law while overseas.
