HONG KONG — Hong Kong national security police have arrested five people linked to two independent bookstores on suspicion of carrying out acts with "seditious intention," widening a series of actions against booksellers under the city's expanded national security framework.
The arrests, announced by the Hong Kong government late on Wednesday, followed a referral from the Customs and Excise Department after officers intercepted a shipment from overseas that authorities said contained books alleged to have seditious content. Police subsequently searched two bookstores in the Mong Kok district and arrested two men, aged 37 and 57, and three women, aged between 30 and 59.
Police said officers seized publications that they alleged incited hatred against the Hong Kong government, the judiciary and law enforcement authorities. The suspects are being investigated under provisions of the city's national security legislation covering acts deemed to have seditious intent, officials said.
Local media identified the two targeted businesses as Have A Nice Stay, a bookstore founded by former journalists, and Greenfield Bookstore. Video and photographs published by news outlets showed officers removing boxes of books from both premises during the searches.
The operation marks the third known police action against independent bookstores in Hong Kong this year, following earlier cases in March and June involving allegations that politically sensitive publications violated national security laws.
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang said booksellers have a responsibility to ensure that the publications they stock do not endanger national security. He rejected suggestions that authorities maintain an official list of prohibited books, saying retailers must comply with the law in the same way businesses are expected to meet other legal obligations.
The arrests prompted criticism from rights advocates and officials in Taiwan. Human Rights Watch called for the release of those detained and said the use of sedition laws threatened freedom of expression, while Taiwan President Lai Ching-te urged democratic governments to support freedom of thought and the detained booksellers.
Beijing and the Hong Kong government have consistently defended the national security legislation imposed in 2020 and expanded through local legislation enacted in 2024, saying it restored stability after the 2019 anti-government protests and targets only a small number of offenders. Critics, including rights groups and some foreign governments, argue the measures have sharply curtailed civil liberties and freedom of expression in the financial hub.
One of the bookstores searched, Have A Nice Stay, had announced plans to close before the police operation, citing financial pressures and uncertainty over legal boundaries governing which publications could be sold. As of Thursday, authorities had not announced whether formal charges had been filed against the five suspects.
