No country should harbour criminals, Hong Kong leader warns after Nathan Law saga

John Lee sidesteps question on whether his administration asked Singapore to hand over wanted activist after city state denied Law entry

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Nathan Law is among eight opposition figures on whom police imposed HK$1 million bounties in July 2023. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:20am, 30 Sep 2025Updated: 7:15pm, 30 Sep 2025

Hong Kong’s leader has warned that no country should harbour criminals, the day after Singapore cited “national interests” as the reason for denying entry to wanted activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung.

But Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday sidestepped a question on whether his administration had asked the city state to help transfer Law, as an extradition agreement was in place between Hong Kong and Singapore.

Law, who now lives in the UK, is wanted by Hong Kong police for allegedly violating the Beijing-imposed national security law after he left the city in 2020.

He was among eight opposition figures on whom police imposed HK$1 million (US$128,000) bounties in July 2023.

The activist was also declared a fugitive under the city’s domestic national security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, enacted in March 2024.

“No country should harbour criminals. Violating national security is a serious crime,” Lee said ahead of a weekly meeting of the city’s top decision-making Executive Council.

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