Crackdown on Hong Kong Bookstores Amid National Security Concerns

In a continuation of a national security crackdown, Hong Kong’s national security police raided two independent bookstores on Wednesday. The raids resulted in the seizure of books and the arrest of five individuals accused of sedition.

The police claimed that these two men and three women had items that showed an intention to cause sedition. They were selling publications that allegedly spread hate against the Hong Kong government, its judiciary, and the police. Under the national security law imposed in 2024, such offenses can lead to a prison sentence of up to seven years.

This marks the third instance in recent months where the authorities have targeted bookstore owners. The crackdown now increasingly includes literature. Despite requests for further details, the police withheld the names of the bookstores involved in the latest arrests. However, local reports identified them as Have A Nice Stay and Greenfield Bookstore, which are situated in Kowloon.

Have A Nice Stay is notably operated by local journalists, some previously affiliated with Stand News, an independent outlet shut down by police in 2021. Recently, Have A Nice Stay revealed it would stop operations on August 30. They cited financial difficulties and the prevailing social environment as reasons for their closure, stating on Instagram, ‘Looking at the overall economic situation in Hong Kong, we can only take a pessimistic view: it is becoming increasingly difficult to carry on.’