Hong Kong police raided two independent bookstores and arrested five\npeople on suspicion of displaying and selling seditious publications.\nThis operation marks the third round of arrests in a series of\ncrackdowns on independent bookstores, following similar actions in March\nand June. More broadly, the raids are viewed as an effort to silence\nfreedom and dissent under the semi-autonomous territory\u2019s draconian\nNational Security Law.<\/p>\n
According to media reports, police raided a store named Have A Nice\nStay, founded by a former journalist, as well as Greenfield Book Store.\nFootage shared by various media showed officers wearing vests marked\n\u2018Police\u2019 seizing several boxes from Have A Nice Stay. AFP reported\nseeing a woman handcuffed and led into a police vehicle from the\npremises. A similar incident was reported a few blocks away, where boxes\nwere removed from the building housing Greenfield Book Store.<\/p>\n
A police statement confirmed that two shops in Mong Kok district were\nraided, without naming the stores. The raid on Have A Nice Stay occurred\na day after the store announced on Facebook that it would close on 30\nAugust 2026, citing reasons including \u2018uncertainty in the social\nenvironment\u2019 and financial difficulties.<\/p>\n
Police said the stores were searched by the National Security\nDepartment after customs officials reported finding internationally\nshipped books suspected of containing seditious content. The police\nstatement noted the publications included attempts to incite hatred\nagainst the government, judiciary, and law enforcement agencies in the\nterritory, though it did not specify the titles of the books. The five\nindividuals arrested\u2014two men and three women\u2014are suspected of violating\nthe 2024 National Security Law. The offence carries a maximum penalty of\nseven years in prison under the Hong Kong National Security Law, which\ncame into effect in 2024 as an addition to the 2020 legislation imposed\nby China following mass pro-democracy demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong\u2019s once-thriving independent bookstore industry has\ncontinued to shrink since the laws were enacted. In June 2026, two\nemployees of Hunter Bookstore were arrested, and in March 2026, four\nworkers at Punch Bookstore were detained for allegedly selling\npublications deemed \u2018seditious\u2019.<\/p>\n
Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday that the use\nof the \u2018sedition\u2019 clause to target bookstores once again demonstrates\nhow Hong Kong\u2019s national security apparatus is \u2018weaponised to silence\ndissenting voices and eradicate spaces for free thought and debate\u2019.\nAmnesty International Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said, \u2018The\nescalating attacks on Hong Kong\u2019s independent bookstores this year\nconfirm the grim reality of a city where you can be criminalised simply\nfor the books on your shelf.\u2019<\/p>\n
Taiwan\u2019s President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday that every\nindependent bookstore is a vital space for preserving thought. \u2018We want\nto express our concern and respect to all bookstores and cultural\nworkers who continue to stand firm in difficult circumstances. Thought\nand writing should not be imprisoned by political pressure,\u2019 Lai wrote\non Facebook. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own\nterritory and considers Lai a \u2018separatist\u2019.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hong-kongs-independent-bookstores-silenced-one-by-one-five-arrested-1784202871", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }