Finn Lau Cho-dik, one of eight pro-democracy activists for whom Hong Kong police offered a monetary reward, told Lusa on Tuesday that Portugal should suspend the extradition agreement with the Chinese region.
Portugal “should abandon the extradition pact and simply follow the other European Union (EU) countries,” Lau said, recalling that in 2020 Ireland, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands announced the suspension of all legal assistance with Hong Kong.
The announcement was made practically simultaneously with the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, something that, according to the activist, was “to minimize the reaction of the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.”
Lau stressed that Portugal and the Czech Republic, the only two EU countries that still have extradition agreements in place with Hong Kong, could do the same and “work together.”
In 2022, Lau was one of the pro-democracy activists invited to speak in the Prague parliament about the eventual suspension of the extradition pact with Hong Kong.
“I think in the Czech Republic there is at least some momentum in that direction,” he added.
The activist said he was available to speak before the Assembly of the Republic as well, even at the risk of Hong Kong submitting an extradition request to the Portuguese government.
In December, the Assembly of the Republic rejected, for the third time in three years, a recommendation proposed by the Liberal Initiative for the Portuguese government to suspend extradition agreements with China and Hong Kong.
On Monday, police in the Chinese region promised rewards of up to 1 million Hong Kong dollars (more than 117,000 euros) for information leading to the arrest of eight former lawyers and pro-democracy activists, including Finn Lau.
“That will never stop me from continuing to defend democracy and human rights,” the activist guaranteed. Still, she stressed that the Hong Kong announcement “increases the risk of kidnapping and other forms of physical violence.”
Lau recalled that, in September, the human rights group Safeguard Defenders accused China of maintaining 54 clandestine police stations abroad, including three in Portugal (Lisbon, Porto and Madeira).
On May 30, Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho told parliament that Lisbon had received assurances that China would not support alleged secret Chinese squads in Portugal.
The eight pro-Democrats, who now live in countries including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, are being investigated by Hong Kong police for cases of “collusion with foreign forces.”
Activists, lawyers, former lawmakers and trade unionists left Hong Kong after Beijing imposed a national security law on the territory in 2020, following anti-government protests the previous year.
Source: TSF
