Hong Kong Exiles Targeted with Sexually Explicit Harassment in Escalating Transnational Repression
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A disturbing wave of harassment, including digitally fabricated sexual imagery and “lonely housewife” posters, targeting exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in the UK and Australia marks a significant escalation in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to silence dissent abroad.
The attacks, revealed in recent weeks, represent the first known instances of individuals on Hong Kong’s police bounty list being subjected to explicitly sexualized harassment, raising serious concerns about the safety and well-being of activists and their families. The incidents underscore a growing trend of transnational repression employed by Beijing against critics living overseas.
Deepfakes and Threats in the UK
Carmen Lau, a former district councillor and prominent pro-democracy activist, was the target of particularly egregious harassment. At least half a dozen of her former neighbors in Maidenhead, UK, received letters postmarked from Macau containing five deepfaked images of Lau superimposed onto the bodies of women in sexually suggestive poses. One image reportedly depicts a fabricated sexual act, which has been pixelated.
The letters included Lau’s name, purported body measurements, and her former home address, accompanied by a disturbing message: “Welcome to visit me! You have the right to choose me, and I also have the right not to accept you. Just want the process to be gentle. We can become close friends in the future!” Lau, understandably, described herself as “terrified” by the letters, stating, “I am a woman, and they threaten me like this.” She emphasized that this represents “an escalation of transnational repression” utilizing AI and digital tools to specifically target women.
Prior to these sexually explicit letters, Lau’s neighbors received “wanted” posters in March offering a reward of HK$1m (£96,000) for information leading to her capture or delivery to the Chinese embassy. Lau moved after receiving those threats and now feels compelled to conceal her identity in public, “If I ever go out, I try to wear a cap or a face mask to avoid being recognised,” she said. “The psychological burden is heavy.” She has also previously criticized Thames Valley police for requesting she sign an agreement to “cease any activity that is likely to put you at risk.”
Australia Targeted: “Lonely Housewife” Posters
The harassment isn’t limited to the UK. Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong legislator, and his wife have been targeted with a fabricated poster advertising his wife’s services as a sex worker. The poster, featuring an old photograph of the couple under the headline “Hong Kong lonely housewife,” lists a menu of sexual services with prices in Australian dollars.
The poster, which was emailed to Hui’s boss and posted around Adelaide, included an address not connected to the couple. Hui stated he “expected something like this to come,” but his wife was “speechless,” as she is not a public figure and had previously been excluded from harassment campaigns against her husband. Police traced the email’s IP address to Hong Kong. A resident who received the poster in Adelaide expressed shock, stating, “How did they get our address? Why did they pick us? It just doesn’t make sense.” A neighbor reportedly asked if the house had become a “knock shop,” slang for a brothel.
Broader Pattern of Harassment
These incidents are not isolated. Similar letters targeting Tony Chung, a Hong Kong activist granted asylum in the UK, and Kevin Yam, an Australian-Hongkonger lawyer subject to a Hong Kong arrest warrant, have also been reported. However, the use of sexually explicit material marks a disturbing new low in the CCP’s campaign of intimidation.
Joshua Reynolds, the MP for Maidenhead, condemned the letters as an act of “transnational repression without question,” calling for decisive government action, including sanctions against officials involved in issuing the bounties. “It’s the point now where it’s Beijing’s efforts to intimidate and to threaten pro-democracy Hongkongers,” Reynolds said. “It’s utterly grotesque what they’re doing, and now is the point where the government can’t stick their head in the sand when it comes to the safety of Hongkongers in our country.”
China Denies Involvement
Responding to the reports, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London reiterated previous denials, claiming the initial bounty letters were faked. The spokesperson stated that pursuing “fugitives” who fled overseas to “destabilise Hong Kong” is “legitimate and reasonable,” and accused the activists of “cheating and sadfishing.” The Chinese embassy in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment.
Thames Valley police confirmed they are investigating reports of a “malicious communications offence” involving digitally altered images and are engaging with the victim. A UK government spokesperson affirmed that the safety and security of Hongkongers in the UK is “of the utmost importance” and encouraged anyone with concerns to report them to the police. The incidents serve as a stark reminder of the lengths to which the CCP will go to silence dissent and the growing risks faced by pro-democracy activists living in exile.