Hong Kong arrests booksellers over alleged seditious publications

Hong Kong police detained the owners of the independent Hunter Bookstore in Sham Shui Po – 33‑year‑old former district councillor Leticia Wong and a 32‑year‑old man – on suspicion of displaying and selling publications with "seditious" intent. Seized items included a biography of jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai and other titles deemed to incite hatred against the Hong Kong government, judiciary and law‑enforcement agencies. Investigators also allege the pair received multiple remittances from foreign political organisations. Under the city’s national‑security regime, they face up to seven years for seditious conduct and up to 14 years for related money‑laundering offences. The arrests, made a week before the July 1 handover anniversary, follow the 2020 Beijing‑imposed security law and a 2024 local security ordinance (Article 23). International press‑freedom groups have called for their immediate release, highlighting growing pressure on Hong Kong’s publishing sector, which has seen more than 400 arrests for security‑related crimes this year.