China/Hong Kong: Arrests of booksellers deepen concerns over shrinking space for free expression
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‘Booksellers are indispensable to a free and open society. They ensure that ideas and information remain accessible, even when those ideas are uncomfortable to those in power. The repeated targeting of independent bookstores in Hong Kong has a chilling effect that reaches writers, publishers, and readers alike,’ said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee.
11 August 2026: PEN International is concerned by the continuing arrests of independent booksellers under Hong Kong’s national security framework, reflecting the steady erosion of freedom of expression and literary freedom in the territory.
On 15 July 2026, Hong Kong police reportedly arrested five people during raids on the independent bookstores Have a Nice Stay and Greenfield Bookstore. According to the authorities, the individuals are under investigation on suspicion of displaying and selling allegedly ‘seditious’ publications under Article 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. Those convicted under the offence can face up to seven years’ imprisonment.
The July raids come just days after Have a Nice Stay announced that it would close its doors, citing financial pressures alongside uncertainty surrounding the increasingly unclear boundaries governing what books may lawfully be stocked and sold. Two weeks after the raids, Greenfield Bookstore also announced its closure after 50 years in business. The absence of any publicly available list of prohibited publications has left booksellers, publishers, and writers struggling to navigate an increasingly uncertain legal environment.
The latest arrests follow two similar incidents earlier this year. In March 2026, police arrested the owner and three staff members of the independent bookstore Book Punch, reportedly in connection with the sale of publications that included The Troublemaker, Mark Clifford's biography of imprisoned publisher and writer Jimmy Lai. In June 2026, the owner and another person associated with Hunter Bookstore were arrested on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organisations. Those arrested in the March and June operations were subsequently released on bail, while investigations reportedly continue.
The arrests form part of a broader pattern of restrictions on literary, cultural and journalistic activity in Hong Kong since the imposition of the draconian National Security Law in 2020. Independent media organisations have closed, politically sensitive books have disappeared from libraries and bookshops, and writers, journalists, and publishers have increasingly faced criminal investigation and prosecution.
The reported targeting of booksellers connected to works about Jimmy Lai is particularly significant. Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper and long-standing advocate for freedom of expression, was sentenced in February 2026 to 20 years' imprisonment following convictions under the National Security Law and Hong Kong's colonial-era sedition law. He has been imprisoned since December 2020, mostly in prolonged solitary confinement.
Jimmy Lai’s case is emblematic of the profound transformation of Hong Kong's free expression landscape. Once recognised as a regional centre for independent publishing and open public debate, Hong Kong has witnessed an accelerating contraction of its civic and cultural space. The reported arrests of booksellers for allegedly selling publications, including works about Lai, raise further concerns about the ability of writers, publishers, and booksellers to participate freely in literary and cultural life.
PEN International will continue to monitor developments closely as part of its ongoing documentation of threats to freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
Note to editors:
For further details, contact Michael Altman Rosen-Lupu, Head of Asia/Pacific Region at PEN International: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International: [email protected]