Hong Kong Police Raid Independent Bookstores and Arrest 5

Hong Kong authorities raided two independent bookstores and arrested five people on Wednesday on suspicion of selling and displaying allegedly seditious publications. The operation, conducted by national security police, marks the third round of such arrests targeting independent booksellers in the city this year.

Police confirmed the arrests of three women, aged 30 to 59, and two men, aged 37 and 57. According to a police statement, the individuals are suspected of breaching the 2024 national security law by engaging in acts with “seditious intention.” Officials allege the suspects displayed and sold materials that could stir up hatred against the Hong Kong government, the judiciary, and law enforcement agencies.

Raids in Mong Kok and Prince Edward

The police operation targeted two specific locations in the Mong Kok district. Officers were observed removing boxes of materials from the building housing “Have A Nice Stay,” a bookstore in Prince Edward founded by former journalists. Reporters witnessed police escorting a woman in handcuffs from the premises.

A similar scene occurred at the “Greenfield Book Store” in Mong Kok, where local media reported that officers seized boxes of items. While police did not explicitly name the stores in their initial statement, the raids were confirmed by local media outlets and AFP reporters on the scene. Both bookstores remained closed during their usual operating hours following the police actions.

Context of the 2024 National Security Law

The arrests were triggered after customs officials discovered allegedly seditious books in a batch of goods shipped to Hong Kong from overseas. The investigation into the five individuals is being conducted under the city’s 2024 national security law, which addresses sedition-related offenses.

These actions follow a pattern of intensified scrutiny toward independent booksellers in the city. Previous operations occurred in March, when police arrested the owner and staff of the store “Book Punch,” and in June, when two booksellers from “Hunter” bookstore were apprehended on similar charges. In the March case, the seized items reportedly included a biography of jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

The “Elusive Red Line”

The raid on “Have A Nice Stay” occurred just one day after the bookstore announced it would shut down on August 30. In a social media post, the store cited financial difficulties and the presence of an “elusive red line” as primary factors for its closure. The bookstore, founded in 2022, had specialized in media literacy, democratic development, and works regarding authoritarianism.

Other independent bookstores have also faced mounting pressure. The shops “Elmbook” and “Luck Win Bookshop” were reportedly barred from participating in the annual Hong Kong Book Fair, which began on Wednesday.

Official Stance and Human Rights Concerns

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, has previously stated that the government does not intend to establish an official list of banned books, arguing that such a list would be impractical to implement. Authorities maintain that national security laws are essential for maintaining the city’s stability.

Conversely, international observers have criticized the use of sedition charges against bookstores. Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Asia deputy regional director, stated that the national security framework is being “weaponized to silence dissenting voices and eradicate spaces for free thought.” Similarly, Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, characterized the arrests as an attempt by the government to “impose a world where people think only what the authorities permit.”

Following the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, Beijing promised the city would maintain Western-style civil liberties for 50 years. However, the environment for independent booksellers has become increasingly difficult following the political shifts that occurred after the 2019 anti-government protests. All individuals arrested in the previous two rounds of bookstore raids earlier this year were subsequently released on bail.

Find more reporting in our World section.