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Hong Kong police have questioned two relatives of actor and journalist Joe Tay in the latest case of authorities targeting the family of wanted overseas pro-democracy activists.
Tay, who lives in Canada, is among six pro-democracy campaigners that the Hong Kong government in December accused of violating a national security law, offering rewards of HK$1 million (US$130,000) for help in arresting them. The six were accused of crimes including incitement to secession, subversion of state power, and collusion with foreign forces.
Tay has lived in Canada since 2020. In 2021, he set up a YouTube channel, HongKongerStation, focusing on Chinese government repression in Hong Kong. He recently ran, unsuccessfully, as a Conservative Party candidate in Canada’s federal election.
On Thursday, officers from Hong Kong’s National Security Department brought in Tay’s cousin and the cousin’s spouse for questioning, Hong Kong media reported. After several hours, they were released and escorted out by police.
In response to media inquiries, Hong Kong police confirmed that two individuals had been summoned on Thursday to assist in an investigation. They added that the case remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.
Earlier this month, a 57-year-old male cousin of Tay and that cousin’s spouse were also taken from their home by national security police for questioning and later released.
Authorities allege that Tay, 62, violated the National Security Law by publishing videos and posts promoting Hong Kong independence and calling for foreign sanctions on China and Hong Kong, including invoking the Magnitsky Act – U.S. legislation to sanction human rights abusers - to target Hong Kong officials.
Hong Kong authorities in recent weeks have questioned the relatives of other accused activists, including the parents of Frances Hui, a pro-democracy advocate based in the United States.
Earlier this month, Hong Kong police made the first formal prosecution of a relative of a wanted individual. They charged Anna Kwok’s father, Kwok Yin-sang, with “attempting to handle the assets of an absconder,” making him the first family member prosecuted under the National Security Law passed last year. Kwok, 68, was granted bail last week.
Anna Kwok is executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a Washington-based advocacy group.
Edited by Mat Pennington.
