Hong Kong arrests journalists in bookstore security raid

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 16 July 2026 |  JP Asia Desk

Hong Kong police arrested five people, including freelance journalists Sum Wan-wah and Mandy Lau, after raiding two independent bookstores. Authorities allege breaches of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance over allegedly seditious publications, prompting condemnation from CPJ.

Summary

HONG KONG — Hong Kong police have arrested two freelance journalists and three other people after raiding two independent bookstores, intensifying concerns over the territory's use of national security laws against journalists, publishers, and booksellers.

The arrests, announced by the National Security Department on July 15, mark the second crackdown on an independent bookstore in less than a month. Authorities allege the five suspects violated Hong Kong's Safeguarding National Security Ordinance by displaying materials with "seditious intent" and selling publications containing "seditious content."

Journalists among those detained

Among those arrested are freelance journalists and booksellers Sum Wan-wah and Mandy Lau, co-founders of the independent bookstore Have a Nice Stay. The bookstore was established in 2022 by five journalists who had lost their jobs as Hong Kong's media environment deteriorated, according to sources familiar with the case.

Have a Nice Stay has been associated with former reporters from the now-defunct Stand News. According to the bookstore's public mission, it promotes journalism and literary reportage. In 2023, its founders also launched the online magazine Leave Blank, describing it as an effort to reclaim their identities as journalists after the closure of independent news organizations.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the arrests and urged Hong Kong authorities to release Sum and Lau immediately.

CPJ warns of widening crackdown

"Using national security legislation to go after another bookstore run by journalists is an attack on press freedom and independent publishing in the city," CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi said in a statement. She called on authorities to end what CPJ described as the persecution of independent publishers.

Police said officers seized multiple books during the operation. Among the publications reportedly confiscated was Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China by National Public Radio journalist Emily Feng. All five suspects remained in detention pending further investigation.

The latest operation follows the arrest in June of journalist and bookseller Leticia Wong Man-huen, owner of Hunter Bookstore, who was detained on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law. She was later released on bail.

Press freedom concerns deepen

Since Beijing imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong in 2020, followed by the city's enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance under Article 23 in 2024, authorities have increasingly targeted journalists, publishers, booksellers, and cultural organizations.

Press freedom groups argue that journalism, publishing, and literary activities are increasingly being treated as national security matters, contributing to a sharp contraction of Hong Kong's once-vibrant independent media landscape.

CPJ's latest global research identifies China as the world's leading jailer of journalists, with at least 50 imprisoned. The Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to CPJ's request for comment.

WHY THIS MATTERS: The latest bookstore raid signals that independent publishing and journalism remain closely intertwined in Hong Kong's national security enforcement. For media organizations across Asia, the case illustrates how bookstores, publishers, and journalists increasingly face similar legal risks, reinforcing concerns about shrinking space for independent reporting and the circulation of public-interest literature.

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting by JournalismPakistan, based on publicly available statements from the Committee to Protect Journalists (July 16, 2026), Hong Kong Police (July 15, 2026), and Pulse HK News (July 2026).

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only.