Hong Kong authorities on Nov.29 issued arrest warrants for two former lawmakers living abroad for allegedly inciting others not to vote or cast blank votes in the upcoming elections.
The ICAC said the new regulations applied to all public activists relating to elections, regardless of their location. While the two are not in Hong Kong, they are now wanted by the city’s anti-corruption watchdog. According to the statement, the activists face three years in prison and fines of up to HK$200,000 ($25,642).
Yau is in the UK, and faces eight charges. Hui, who resettled in Australia, faces four charges.
According to Hui’s Facebook post, he urged Hong Kong people to cast blank votes in the election that will occur on Dec.19, in protest of the “new parliamentary system under the authoritarian regime.”
The changes to the city’s political system have cemented the authoritarian turn Hong Kong took with Beijing’s imposition of national security law in June 2020. It criminalizes anything China deems subversion, secession, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces, with penalties of up to life in prison.
The Hong Kong government passed new legislation to complement Beijing’s changes, redrawing constituency boundaries, creating more electoral districts, and criminalizing calls for voters to leave ballots blank.
There are no candidates this year from the city’s pro-democracy camp, with most former legislators and activists ensnared by the new law or arrested for other offenses. Most are either in jail, out on bail pending trials, or in self-exile.
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