Five arrested in Hong Kong bookstore raids in ‘seditious’ materials crackdown
Hong Kong police arrested five people during raids on two independent bookstores for allegedly selling seditious materials. This action is part of a broader crackdown on dissent under the 2024 national security law.
Why it matters
The arrests highlight the ongoing erosion of freedom of expression and publication in Hong Kong.
A police officer stands at the entrance to the Have A Nice Stay independent bookstore after the officers raided the premises./Getty Images A police officer stands at the entrance to the Have A Nice Stay independent bookstore after the officers raided the premises./Getty Images Hong Kong Five arrested in Hong Kong bookstore raids in ‘seditious’ materials crackdown Third round of arrests linked to independent bookshops widely regarded as clampdown on dissent in territory
Prefer the Guardian on Google Hong Kong authorities have raided two bookstores and arrested five people on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications, in the latest step targeting independent booksellers.
Videos and photos from multiple media outlets on Wednesday showed officers wearing vests marked with “police” seizing boxes from the building that houses Have A Nice Stay, a bookshop founded by former journalists. AFP reporters saw officers also lead away a woman in handcuffs to a van.
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