A coalition of Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders and Chinese diaspora organizations has written to Foreign Minister Anita Anand urging Canada to impose targeted sanctions on senior Hong Kong officials they accuse of waging an escalating campaign of “transnational repression” — specifically for placing illegal bounties on the heads of Canadian citizens, including 2025 Conservative election candidate Joseph Tay.

In the August 8 letter the groups invoke Canada’s Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) and the Special Economic Measures Act, calling for asset freezes and travel bans on a roster of Hong Kong political, judicial, and security officials. These individuals, the letter says, have “played critical roles in enforcing the region’s repressive policies, undermining judicial independence, and facilitating the persecution of pro-democracy activists.”

The push echoes pressure from several of the same groups to escalate the case of one Canadian bounty target — Tay. According to Canadian intelligence assessments, Tay was targeted by Chinese state security in a campaign allegedly amplified by his Liberal rival, MP Paul Chiang. In the aftermath, Tay’s relatives in Hong Kong were detained and questioned by police. Hong Kong authorities have since expanded their wanted list to include additional overseas activists.

The letter to Anand singles out officials most directly responsible for the December 2024 charges amplified by Paul Chiang — among them Chris Tang Ping-keung (Secretary for Security), who invoked Hong Kong’s Article 23 “Safeguarding National Security Ordinance” to impose special orders against former lawmakers and activists; and Raymond Siu Chak-yee (former Commissioner of Police), who led the Hong Kong Police in posting HK$1 million bounties for information leading to the arrests of dozens of overseas activists, including Canadian citizens Tay and former Sing Tao Daily editor Victor Ho.

Victor Ho’s assertion that the Chinese Communist Party has effectively taken control of all Chinese-language media in Canada is reflected in a 2022 CSIS document on Chinese election interference obtained by The Bureau. “The CCP weaponizes the Chinese media to gain election intervention,” Ho told The Bureau in a 2023 story on that document. “To do this, the Chinese Consulates in Canada make every effort to influence the top Chinese editing teams in Canada.”

Hong Kong authorities have issued international arrest warrants and cash rewards — ranging from HK$200,000 to HK$1 million (C$35,000 to C$175,000) — for six pro-democracy activists with ties to Canada, including three Canadian citizens.

In the August 8 letter to Anand, Edmund Leung, chair of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement, says: “The actions of these officials constitute a direct attack on the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”

“By targeting specific individuals who have misused their authority to oppress rather than uphold the integrity of the judiciary, Canada will send a clear message that judicial positions are not shields for impunity,” the letter says.

Cheuk Kwan, co-chair of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, added: “We count on Canada to continue its leadership role post-G7 summit. By imposing these sanctions, Canada will send a strong message to the world that it stands firmly against human rights abuses and authoritarian overreach.”

His appeal carries particular weight: Kwan played a central role in exposing one of the most explosive diaspora interference cases in recent Canadian politics. As The Bureau reported in March, he helped publicize evidence that Chiang had amplified an illegal Hong Kong bounty targeting Tay — evidence the RCMP confirmed they were reviewing, but only after Hong Kong democracy groups intensified pressure on Ottawa.

The safety threats linked to that bounty effectively shut down Tay’s in-person campaign in Don Valley North. Despite calls for intervention, then–Liberal leader Mark Carney refused to remove Chiang from the race. Chiang stepped aside only after the RCMP announced its review — and the Liberals went on to hold the seat.

The new sanctions request names senior Hong Kong officials alleged to have orchestrated and enforced these transnational repression measures, including:

• Paul Lam Ting-kwok, Secretary for Justice, who in 2022 ordered 47 pro-democracy activists tried without a jury, breaking Hong Kong’s 177-year tradition of jury trials.
• Chris Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Security, who in 2024 invoked Article 23 to cancel passports, freeze assets, and block financial transactions for exiled activists.
• Raymond Siu Chak-yee and Joe Chow Yat-ming, current and former Police Commissioners, who authorized HK$1 million bounties against overseas activists, including Tay and Ho.
• Andrew Kan Kai-yan and Steve Li Kwai-wah, National Security Department officers accused of freezing activists’ bank accounts and criminalizing financial support.
• John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive, whose administration advanced Article 23 legislation and intensified mass arrests under the National Security Law.

The signatories argue these actions breach international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and meet the threshold for Magnitsky and SEMA sanctions.

Magnitsky sanctions stem from the case of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after exposing a massive state-backed tax fraud scheme. Canada’s version allows Ottawa to freeze assets and ban travel for foreign officials involved in human rights abuses or significant corruption.