HONG KONG — Hong Kong's government said on Wednesday it had canceled the passports of six democracy activists who fled to the United Kingdom, calling them "lawless wanted criminals."

Since authorities quashed massive and occasionally violent pro-democracy protests in 2019, Hong Kong has intensified a crackdown on dissent, enacting security laws that critics like the UK and the United States say have curbed the city's unique freedoms.

Last year, Hong Kong issued HK$1 million ($128,000) in bounties for 13 activists based abroad who authorities accused of committing national security crimes.

The six named on Wednesday — all on the bounty list — are considered "lawless wanted criminals... hiding in the United Kingdom," a government spokesman said in a statement.

"They continue to blatantly engage in activities that endanger national security. They also make scaremongering remarks to smear and slander the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," the spokesman added, using the city's official name.

Besides canceling their Hong Kong passports, police said anyone offering funds, leasing property or running a business with them could face up to seven years in jail.

The six are former lawmaker Nathan Law; veteran unionist Christopher Mung Siu-tat; activists Finn Lau, Fok Ka-chi and Choi Ming-da; and Simon Cheng, founder of the civil society group Hongkongers in Britain.

Hong Kong officials cited a national security law passed in March — colloquially known as Article 23 — as the legal basis for canceling their passports.

Security chief Chris Tang defended the measures as "necessary," saying the six were "harbored in the UK and continue to collude with foreign forces."

Asked if people would violate the law by subscribing to the activists' content on online platforms such as Patreon and YouTube, Tang said "it is an offence to provide funds or to handle funds for those specified absconders, no matter what platform it is."

In response, Finn Lau said he had only ever held a British National Overseas passport, which is available to Hong Kongers born in the former British colony before the July 1997 handover to China.

"It is ridiculous to cancel (a Hong Kong passport) that never exists," he said on X, adding that it "does not deter me from advocating human rights & democracy."

Fellow activist Mung said on Facebook: "You can cancel my passport but you can never revoke my identity as a Hong Konger."

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian blasted the six, saying their "nasty behavior seriously endangered national security, seriously damaged the fundamental interests of Hong Kong, and seriously attacked the bottom line of 'one country, two systems.'"

Wednesday's move came on the fifth anniversary of a violent clash between protesters and police that marked a major escalation in the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

Under the Chinese-British agreement for the handover, Hong Kong enjoys more freedoms and rights than its mainland counterparts, and once had a robust opposition bloc that advocated for more democratic processes.

After quashing the protests, Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on Hong Kong in 2020, which critics say has broken down the legal firewall that once existed between the city and mainland China.

The law — which has seen nearly 300 arrested since its enactment — also claims the power to hold accused people accountable across the world.

Article 23, the homegrown security law passed in March, granted Hong Kong authorities further enforcement powers.

The six have been accused of security crimes, including incitement to secession, incitement to subversion and foreign collusion that could land them in prison for life.