Chinese Critic's Wife Faces Scrutiny in Australia Amid Hong Kong Legal Pursuit

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A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist living in exile in South Australia has condemned the targeting of his wife after fake posters that advertised her as a sex worker were delivered to his Adelaide workplace.

“It was a photo of me and my wife together, and I would say it’s an advert for sex service. The title of the poster is ‘Hong Kong lonely housewife’, and it contains an explicit service provider with fees,” Hui told SBS News.

Ted Hui, a pro-democracy activist, discovered a QR code at the bottom of a poster, which redirected users to his Facebook page.

“It’s … harassment, portraying my wife as a sex worker doing promotion and inviting customers,” Hui said.

Hui is one of four Australian residents who are facing overseas arrest warrants issued by Hong Kong’s national security police.

A man being held in the back of a police van

In 2020, Hui was apprehended by police officers in Hong Kong. The arrest falls under the broader crackdown on pro-democracy movements within the region. Credit: Kin Cheung/AP

Since arriving in Australia in 2021, Hui has been subjected to harassment from Hong Kong. In March, the Guardian reported that his office received a letter mailed from Hong Kong, which offered reward for information about him and his family.

Following the March incident, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong condemned the letter targeting Hui, saying it was “a threat to (Australian) national security”.

Hui said this the first time his partner is directly targeted by the harassment.

“She’s more speechless, didn’t know how to react to it,” Hui said.

Hui is one of several individuals accused of being involved with the unofficial “Hong Kong Parliament” group. Authorities claim this group seeks to promote self-determination and the creation of a “Hong Kong constitution.”

According to Hong Kong authorities, the group’s activities are considered attempts to undermine state power. These accusations are made under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020, a response to the extensive pro-democracy demonstrations that took place in 2019.

Outside Australia, Hong Kong activist Carmen Lau has also been targeted with sexually explicit harassment in the United Kingdom, as several of her neighbours in Maidenhead received fake posters of her that with sexually explicit deepfake images, according to the Guardian.

Lau said that she was “terrified” of these sexually explicit letters, which were posted from Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China.

Despite the harassment, Hui says his wife and family still feels “safe” to live in Adelaide. He has reported the incident to police.

Hui said his experience should send a message to the Australian society about transnational oppression.

“Even though I’m legally and safely protected by the Australian government, but they have other means, at community level, at personal level, they can still infiltrate into Australian soil.”

SBS News has approached the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.