Sexually Explicit Letters Targeted at Exiled Hong Kong Activists
Critics of the Chinese Communist Party's rule in Hong Kong are facing a new wave of transnational harassment, with two high-profile activists receiving letters containing sexually explicit content. Carmen Lau, an exiled pro-democracy activist and former district councillor, was targeted by people in the UK, who received letters purporting to be from her that showed digitally faked images of her as a sex worker. The letters were posted from Macau and contained fake photos of Lau with superimposed faces on women's bodies, as well as explicit text.
Lau said she was "terrified" by the letters and described them as an escalation of transnational repression, where AI or digital tools are used to specifically target women. She stated that the letters represented a heightened risk faced by female activists and their associates.
Meanwhile, Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong legislator, and his wife were targeted with a fake poster advertising her services as a sex worker in Australia. The poster was sent via email and posted to people in Adelaide at addresses listed on it. A resident of one address said they had never heard of the exiled Hongkonger and their house had become a "knock shop" after receiving the poster.
These incidents highlight the increasing risks faced by pro-democracy activists living abroad. The Chinese authorities have been using various tactics, including bounty letters offering rewards for information leading to the capture or extradition of the activists, as well as online harassment and cyberbullying.
In response, UK politicians are calling on the government to take decisive action against those responsible. Joshua Reynolds, MP for Maidenhead, described the letters as an act of transnational repression without question and called for sanctions to be imposed on officials involved in raising bounties on activists living in Britain.
The Chinese embassy has previously denied that bounty letters were faked but refused to comment further on the recent letters sent to Lau. The Australian government has not responded to a request for comment on the incident involving Hui's wife.
Critics of the Chinese Communist Party's rule in Hong Kong are facing a new wave of transnational harassment, with two high-profile activists receiving letters containing sexually explicit content. Carmen Lau, an exiled pro-democracy activist and former district councillor, was targeted by people in the UK, who received letters purporting to be from her that showed digitally faked images of her as a sex worker. The letters were posted from Macau and contained fake photos of Lau with superimposed faces on women's bodies, as well as explicit text.
Lau said she was "terrified" by the letters and described them as an escalation of transnational repression, where AI or digital tools are used to specifically target women. She stated that the letters represented a heightened risk faced by female activists and their associates.
Meanwhile, Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong legislator, and his wife were targeted with a fake poster advertising her services as a sex worker in Australia. The poster was sent via email and posted to people in Adelaide at addresses listed on it. A resident of one address said they had never heard of the exiled Hongkonger and their house had become a "knock shop" after receiving the poster.
These incidents highlight the increasing risks faced by pro-democracy activists living abroad. The Chinese authorities have been using various tactics, including bounty letters offering rewards for information leading to the capture or extradition of the activists, as well as online harassment and cyberbullying.
In response, UK politicians are calling on the government to take decisive action against those responsible. Joshua Reynolds, MP for Maidenhead, described the letters as an act of transnational repression without question and called for sanctions to be imposed on officials involved in raising bounties on activists living in Britain.
The Chinese embassy has previously denied that bounty letters were faked but refused to comment further on the recent letters sent to Lau. The Australian government has not responded to a request for comment on the incident involving Hui's wife.
This is getting out of hand. I mean, who gets harassed with fake sex worker ads? It's like they're saying, 'Hey, you can't just leave Hong Kong because we don't like your politics.' 
And what about the UK government not taking action yet? That's just giving China a free pass to bully people abroad. 
I think we need to draw a line here and say that harassment is never acceptable, no matter where you are in the world. It's like they're trying to silence dissent by silencing women, which is just sickening 
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. It's just another level of harassment that exiled activists have to deal with. These letters aren't just targeting them, they're also putting a risk on innocent people who get caught up in the mess - like the resident in Adelaide whose house got flooded with these fake posters 
. UK government needs to take action against this, but I'm not sure if it's just about imposing sanctions or doing something more to stop this kind of thing from happening 
It's like, come on guys, can't we just have a respectful conversation about politics without resorting to creepy harassment? And what's up with the Chinese government's tactics? Bounty letters, online harassment... it's all just getting more and more messed up. 
I don't think sanctions are the answer here, though. That just seems like more of the same cycle of aggression and retaliation. We need some real change, you know? 
! Who do these people think they are? Can't believe Carmen Lau is getting this kind of harassment. It's like, she's just trying to live her life and fight for what's right, but noooo, she has to deal with this kind of crap. And to make it worse, AI or digital tools are being used to make these fake letters, which means it's not even just some psycho who can't handle a woman in a public role... it's like the Chinese government is funding this kind of thing and letting it happen 
. The fact that UK politicians are calling for sanctions is about time, though 
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. it's not just the activists who are being targeted, but also their families. this is what happens when you try to speak out against an oppressive regime 
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. Who does that? Someone needs to get in there and figure out who's behind these sick letters 
. It's like they're trying to make a point, but honestly, what's their goal here? To ruin some people's lives? That's just disgusting 
... yeah right 
. The UK needs to step up and do something about this. Sanctions or whatever, they need to take these people down a peg 
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I mean, I know pro-democracy activists face a lot of heat from the Chinese authorities, but this is just low-key harassment. Like, what's next? 
We need some serious action taken here! 
