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The former pro-democracy Hong Kong legislator Ted Hui, who is wanted by authorities in the Chinese city, has been granted asylum in Australia, he said in a social media post, calling on Canberra to do more for those who remain jailed.
The special administrative region, handed back to China by the UK in 1997, has seen dissent quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law following huge and at times violent pro-democracy protests that erupted in 2019.
Hui, a high-profile participant at the time who has since resettled in Adelaide, where he works as a solicitor, said the Australian government had granted him a protection visa this week, with asylum also extending to his wife, children and parents.
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“I express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia – both present and former – for recognising our need for asylum and granting us this protection,” he said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
A vocal critic of Hong Kong and Beijing authorities, Hui is among several overseas activists targeted in 2023 by police bounties of HK$1m each (A$196,000).
The bounties, which have previously drawn strong criticism from western countries, are seen as largely symbolic given that they affect people living abroad in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China.
Earlier this year, an anonymous letter sent to Hui’s Adelaide office offered his colleagues $203,000 for information on his whereabouts and his family. Fake pamphlets falsely accusing Hui of being an pro-Israel lawyer willing to “wage war” against Islamic terrorism were also allegedly mailed to mosques in Adelaide in an apparent attempt to intimidate him.
In this Facebook post, Hui urged the Australian government not to forget other Hong Kong activists who remained jailed, including media mogul Jimmy Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020.
“Australia must do more to rescue them and to speak up for their humanity,” Hui said. “Its stance matters internationally, and its protection of Hongkongers sets a precedent for other democracies.”
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He added that he and his family will “give back to Australia in every way we can – through our work, our civic engagement, and our commitment to the values of democracy and freedom”.
While Hong Kong’s government did not comment directly on Hui’s case, a spokesperson said on Saturday those who absconded should not think they could evade “criminal liability”.
“Any country that harbours Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong’s legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong,” the spokesperson said.
The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, has previously objected to Hong Kong’s arrest warrants and bounties.
“Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy,” she said last month on social media.
“We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong’s national security legislation, and we will continue to do so.”
The Department of Home Affairs has been contacted for comment.
