Two men have been convicted in the United Kingdom's first-ever prosecution for spying on behalf of China after a court found they carried out surveillance on Hong Kong dissidents living in Britain as part of what prosecutors described as a 'shadow policing' operation.
After a weeks-long trial, the jury at the Old Bailey Court found ex-police superintendent Chung Biu 'Bill' Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung 'Peter' Wai, 38, guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under Britain's national security laws.
Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office after he was found guilty of unauthorised searches of the Home Office databases,The Guardianreported.
During a nine-week trial, prosecutors told the court that the defendants worked together to collect and pass on sensitive information about pro-democracy activists, including figures connected to Hong Kong's democracy movement who had relocated to the UK.
The two were involved in coordinated surveillance activity, tracking individuals and gathering intelligence allegedly forChinese state-linked interests.
The court heard that one of the key targets was Nathan Law, an exiled pro-democracy politician who rose to prominence during Hong Kong's student-led protest movement. Prosecutors said Law was repeatedly targeted through multiple surveillance operations, and that Chinese authorities had placed a £100,000 ($135,593) bounty on him.
Human rights groups have strongly condemned the case, warning that it reflects broader concerns about the intimidation of political dissidents abroad.
Amnesty International UKsaid the convictions highlight what it describes as ongoing risks faced by Hong Kong activists living in exile. In a statement, the organisation said the case shows the 'determination to intimidate and harass' critics of the Chinese government even outside its borders.
Amnesty International added that the targeting of individuals who had sought safety in the UK raises serious concerns about the protection of political refugees and the reach of foreign surveillance operations. The group has called for stronger safeguards for activists and increased monitoring oftransnational repressioncases.
'UK police and other government authorities at all levels need to recognise the extent of the transnational repression that threatens Hong Kong communities in Britain and work together to stop Hong Kong's authoritarian attempts to monitor, threaten and silence them', it said.
Source: International Business Times UK
