Hong Kong Police Raid Two Independent Bookshops, Arrest Five on Sedition Suspicion

On July 15, 2026, Hong Kong national security police raided two independent bookshops — Have A Nice Stay and Greenfield Book Store — in the Mong Kok and Prince Edward areas, arresting five people on suspicion of displaying and selling publications with seditious intent under national security legislation. The arrested individuals comprised two men aged 37 and 57, and three women aged between 30 and 59. Police stated the seized publications incited hatred against Hong Kong's government, judiciary, and law enforcement agencies, though authorities did not publicly specify which book titles were considered seditious.

The five arrested booksellers were released on bail two days after the raids, pending further investigation. The investigation was triggered when Customs and Excise Department officials discovered allegedly seditious books in an overseas shipment to Hong Kong and referred the case to the national security department.

Have A Nice Stay was founded in 2022 by a group of former journalists, including Sum Wan-wah, and stocked literature on democracy, authoritarianism, and media literacy. On or around July 14, 2026 — one day before the raids — the bookshop announced it would close in August, citing financial difficulties and uncertainty over which materials are considered legally problematic, describing an 'elusive red line' that made it impossible to know which books might trigger enforcement action.

Hong Kong passed its own domestic national security law in 2024, supplementing broader national security legislation imposed by Beijing following the 2019 democracy protests. Security Secretary Chris Tang stated that booksellers have a responsibility to ensure the books they sell do not endanger national security, comparing this obligation to food vendors' duty to ensure goods do not contain poison or breach the law. Tang stated that books inciting hatred against authorities would be considered unlawful, that officials would not compile a list of banned books, and that authorities would focus on content rather than titles.

Hong Kong authorities characterize the national security laws as crucial for the city's stability. Critics and human rights organizations characterize the laws and raids as tools that stifle dissent and criminalize ordinary reading.

The July 2026 raids were the third round of arrests linked to independent bookstores in 2026, following similar operations in March and June. In March 2026, police arrested the owner and staff of the independent Book Punch store on suspicion of selling seditious publications, including the biography of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai. In June 2026, Hong Kong police arrested two booksellers on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations.

Center-left outlets reported that a source cited titles by late opposition lawmaker Bottle Shiu Ka-chun and the memoir 'Stay' by former Democratic Party lawmaker Emily Lau Wai-hing as books suspected of promoting anti-government sentiment. BBC News noted that if convicted, those arrested could face up to seven years in prison under national security legislation.

BBC News reported that Greenfield Book Store stocks books from Hong Kong and Taiwan covering literature, history, philosophy, art, sociology, and self-improvement. The outlet also noted that neither Have A Nice Stay nor Greenfield Book Store was attending the 2026 Hong Kong Book Fair, which opened on the same Wednesday as the raids.

BBC News reported that Amnesty International stated uncertainty over 'red lines' has left booksellers and writers guessing which titles could lead to criminal investigation, arrest, or closure, resulting in fear and self-censorship.

The Guardian reported that Jimmy Lai, described as a former pro-democracy media tycoon whose biography was among the allegedly seditious books seized in the March raids, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a national security case. The outlet also noted that all individuals arrested in the prior March and June bookshop raids were subsequently released on bail, providing context for the likely outcome of the July arrests.

The Guardian reported that Hong Kong was historically known for its freedom of publication and expression, and some mainland Chinese residents crossed the border to purchase politically sensitive books unavailable on the mainland. Beijing promised Hong Kong would maintain western-style civil liberties for 50 years after its return to China in 1997 under a 'one country, two systems' arrangement.

The Guardian also referenced that Lam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books, died earlier in July 2026. He had made international headlines in 2016 when he revealed he had been held by Chinese authorities after crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen; four others affiliated with the bookstore disappeared in late 2015.