Key facts
- Hong Kong police arrested two bookshop owners on Wednesday.
- The arrests were made under the national security law.
- The individuals are suspected of selling publications inciting hatred against the government, judiciary, and law enforcement.
- They are also suspected of receiving funds from foreign political organizations.
- Police seized seditious items, books, and documents from the shop and residence.
Hong Kong police arrested two bookshop owners on Wednesday under the national security law, suspecting them of displaying and selling publications with "seditious" content and receiving funds from foreign political organizations. The government statement indicated the publications incited hatred against the Hong Kong government, judiciary, and law enforcement agencies. Police seized a batch of "seditious" items, books, and related documents from the shop and residence in the Sham Shui Po district. One of the arrested individuals was reportedly Leticia Wong, owner of Hunter Bookstore and a former pro-democracy district councilor. The arrests occurred a week before the July 1 anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Chinese rule, a period when concerns over the city's diminishing freedoms have been amplified following Beijing's 2020 national security law imposition.