{"success":true,"data":{"id":"109d4dff-c6a4-486a-bc5c-a356ef5ecd7c","title":"Booksellers in Hong Kong raided by police over allegations of selling anti-government texts","summary":"Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Not now Yes please US Edition Change Support Now × \"Clear search box\") Custom Search Sort by Relevance Date NewsNews World CupWorld Cup SportsSports CultureCulture LifestyleLifestyle MoneyMon...","content":"## Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent\n\nNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.\n\nNot now Yes please\n\nUS Edition Change\n\nSupport Now\n\n[×](javascript:void(0) \"Clear search box\")\n\nCustom Search\n\nSort by\n\nRelevance\n\nDate\n\n*   News[News](https://www.independent.co.uk/us)\n\n*   World Cup[World Cup](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup)\n\n*   Sports[Sports](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport)\n\n*   Culture[Culture](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment)\n\n*   Lifestyle[Lifestyle](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style)\n\n*   Money[Money](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money)\n\n*   Travel[Travel](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel)\n\n*   Premium[Premium](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium)\n\nMore\n\nMore\n\n### Thank you for registering\n\nPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in\n\n# Booksellers in Hong Kong raided by police over allegations of selling anti-government texts\n\n## Reports suggest police in Hong Kong have arrested five people for allegedly selling seditious texts\n\n[Kanis Leung](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/kanis-leung)Wednesday 15 July 2026 16:58 BST\n\n*   Copy link  \n*   Bookmark  \n\n## Bookmark popover\n\nRemoved from bookmarks\n\nClose popover\n\nopen image in gallery\n\nThe bookstore 'Have A Nice Stay' in Prince Edward district, Hong Kong, that was raided by police(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)\n\n### Your support helps us to tell the story\n\nFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.\n\nAt such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.\n\nThe Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.\n\n**Your support makes all the difference.**\n\n[Hong Kong authorities](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/joshua-wong-hong-kong-beijing-nathan-law-law-b3010182.html \"Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong set for September sentencing in second national security case\") have raided two [bookstores](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/bookstores) and arrested five people on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications, local [media](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/media) reported Wednesday, in the latest step targeting independent booksellers.\n\nVideos and photos from multiple media outlets showed officers wearing vests marked \"[Police](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/police)\" seizing boxes from the building housing Have A Nice Stay, a bookshop founded by former journalists.\n\nA bookseller was seen being taken away.\n\nJust a few streets away, a similar scene played out, with boxes taken from the building housing Greenfield Book Store, according to a video by online news outlet The Collective.\n\nPolice later confirmed they had raided two stores in Mong Kok district, without identifying them. They arrested two men and three women on suspicion of breaching the 2024 national security law, according to their statement.\n\n[](https://xeviourl.cc/6b0996b2-5fd1-4bc6-a6a6-8e4077a061f3)[Beauty Update: Women Over 50 Are Trying This Mask Before Clinic Treatments Mid-Life-Journal | [Sponsored](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=eslmedia-theindependent&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=alternating-thumbnails-stream-1x4:Mid%20Article%20Thumbnails%20II:)[Sponsored](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=eslmedia-theindependent&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=alternating-thumbnails-stream-1x4:Mid%20Article%20Thumbnails%20II:)](https://xeviourl.cc/6b0996b2-5fd1-4bc6-a6a6-8e4077a061f3 \"Beauty Update: Women Over 50 Are Trying This Mask Before Clinic Treatments\")\n\n[](https://www.key4.com/)[Professional Locksmith Supplies at KEY4 Key4 | [Sponsored](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=eslmedia-theindependent&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=alternating-thumbnails-stream-1x4:Mid%20Article%20Thumbnails%20II:)[Sponsored](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=eslmedia-theindependent&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=alternating-thumbnails-stream-1x4:Mid%20Article%20Thumbnails%20II:)](https://www.key4.com/ \"Professional Locksmith Supplies at KEY4\")\n\nThe closed up exterior of the Greenfield Book Store is seen in Mong Kok district, Hong Kong(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)\n\nThis is the third round of arrests linked to independent bookstores after similar operations in March and June that were widely seen as stifling dissent in the [Asian](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/asian) financial hub.\n\nThe new police statement said an investigation showed the five people were suspected of displaying seditious materials and selling seditious publications on the premises. The publications' content includes stirring up hatred against the city's government, judiciary and law enforcement agencies, it said.\n\n[Customs](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/customs) officials referred the case after the discovery of allegedly seditious books in a batch of goods shipped to [Hong Kong](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/hong-kong) from overseas, police said, without specifying titles.\n\nThe bookstores were closed during usual opening hours on Wednesday. Calls to Greenfield and a founder of Have A Nice Stay were unanswered.\n\nHave A Nice Stay had already announced it would shut down on Aug. 30. In a social media post, it said financial difficulties and an elusive red line were among the factors.\n\nHong Kong was once known for its freedom of publication and freedom of expression. Some Chinese residents crossed the border to buy books deemed to be too politically sensitive on the mainland.\n\nLam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books until his death earlier this month, made international headlines in 2016 when he revealed that he was held by Chinese authorities after crossing from Hong Kong to the city of Shenzhen. Four others affiliated with the bookstore in Hong Kong disappeared in late 2015.\n\nThe exteriors of the bookstore 'Have A Nice Stay' is seen in Prince Edward district, Hong Kong(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)\n\nLam's account shocked many people in the former British colony, which [Beijing](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/beijing) promised would maintain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years after its return to China in 1997.\n\nFollowing political changes after anti-government protests in 2019, independent bookstores have been operating in an even more challenging environment.\n\nAuthorities say the national security laws are crucial for the city’s stability. Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Chris Tang has said the government would not set up a list of banned books, saying it would be pointless to implement in reality.\n\nIn March, police arrested the owner and staff of the independent Book Punch store, reportedly on suspicion of selling seditious publications. They included the biography of former pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in his national security case.","source_name":"The Independent","source_url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hong-kong-booksellers-raided-anti-government-text-b3015547.html","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hong-kong-booksellers-raided-anti-government-text-b3015547.html","author":"Kanis Leung","author_name":"Kanis Leung","published_at":"2026-07-15T15:58:54.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-15T15:58:54.000Z","image_url":"https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/07/15/16/Hong_Kong_Booksellers_Arrests_46514.jpg","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":5,"word_count":927,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}