Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the move as "another example of transnational repression".  People are being offered between USD 25,000 (HKD 200,000) and USD 125,000 for information leading to the arrest of 19 individuals, all of whom are pro-democracy activists living abroad. China has denounced as "interference" criticism over this type of appeal, which it has made three times previously.

The 19 people are accused of violating Beijing's national security law imposed in 2020 in response to the 2019 anti-government protests that rocked the city for months. The amounts on offer vary depending on the individual. Among the highest offers on the list are those for Choi Ming-da and Fok Ka-chi, who Hong Kong police said operated a social media channel named "Tuesdayroad". Politician Nathan Law – who had been a lawmaker on the Legislative Council of Hong Kong – and activist and commentator Yuan Gong-Yi also appear on the lists. The first such rewards were issued in July and December 2023. They targeted Nathan Law - who told the BBC that his life became more dangerous after a bounty was announced - and Simon Cheng, a former UK consulate employee detained in 2019 in a high-profile case. The third series of rewards targeted six pro-democracy activists living in the UK and Canada, including Tony Chung, the former leader of a pro-independence group. A special visa scheme introduced in 2021 saw around 150,000 Hong Kong residents move to the UK, according to the Home Office. (BBC)