The raids and arrests took place on Wednesday, against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s annual international book fair. They also produced an iconic image, circulated widely on social media, of a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back, wearing a t-shirt declaring “I am a bookstore clerk,” and holding her head high as she is escorted into a police car.
torsdag 30. juli 2026
Amid Hong Kong Book Fair, Police Raid Two More Independent Bookstores, Arrest Five Booksellers
In yet another blow for book lovers and free thinkers in Hong Kong, national security police raided two independent bookstores (Have a Nice Stay and Greenfield, respectively) and arrested five individuals on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications, an offence punishable with up to seven years in prisonunder Hong Kong’s homegrown national security law (NSL). Three of those arrested have since been released on bail, while the status of the other two remains unclear.
The raids and arrests took place on Wednesday, against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s annual international book fair. They also produced an iconic image, circulated widely on social media, of a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back, wearing a t-shirt declaring “I am a bookstore clerk,” and holding her head high as she is escorted into a police car.
The raids and arrests took place on Wednesday, against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s annual international book fair. They also produced an iconic image, circulated widely on social media, of a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back, wearing a t-shirt declaring “I am a bookstore clerk,” and holding her head high as she is escorted into a police car.