Hong Kong police arrest a bookstore owner and staff for selling a Jimmy Lai biography, deepening fears of a shrinking space for free expression.
Newsroom (25/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) Hong Kong police have arrested the owner of a local bookstore and three of his staff for allegedly selling “seditious” publications, including a biography of jailed pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai, according to broadcaster TVB.
The arrests mark the latest flashpoint in the city’s tightening control over dissent under the national security framework. The owner of Book Punch, Pong Yat-ming, and three employees were detained on Tuesday, accused of selling The Troublemaker, a biography of Lai written by former media executive Mark Clifford.
Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, was sentenced in February to a 20-year prison term for collusion with foreign forces and sedition — one of Hong Kong’s most consequential national security cases to date.
When pressed for details about the latest arrests, police did not confirm or elaborate, saying only that authorities “will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law.” A handwritten sign on the bookstore door quietly announced: “Resting for a day due to emergency, sorry for the inconvenience.”
Reuters reported that attempts to reach Pong for comment were unsuccessful, and it remains unclear whether formal charges have been filed.
Mark Clifford, who now resides in New York and once served as a director at Lai’s media company Next Digital, said he was unaware of the arrests when contacted. “If true, it’s a sad and ironic commentary that selling a book on a man who is in jail for his activities as a journalist, for promoting free expression, would be subject to sedition,” he told Reuters.
In further remarks to The Guardian, Clifford added that the incident underscores a profound shift in Hong Kong’s civil space. “Anyone who thinks it is business as usual in Hong Kong should take note of the government’s actions against a bookseller and against what was one of the region’s pre-eminent media companies,” he said.
National Security Laws Expand Control
Under Hong Kong’s local National Security Law — known as Article 23 — sedition carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, or 10 years if the act involves collusion with what is defined as an “external force.” The law operates alongside broader security legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020, which authorities argue restored order following the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Critics, however, say the laws have decimated press freedom and civil society. In a statement, Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called the arrests a disturbing escalation. “Hong Kong has become increasingly dystopian,” she said. “First the authorities jailed the newspaper publisher, then they arrested the person selling books about him. Who’s next? The authorities’ insatiable drive for political security will only create more insecurity for itself.”
Expanding Enforcement Powers
Only a day before the bookstore arrests, Hong Kong’s government announced new amendments strengthening enforcement under Beijing’s security law. The changes empower customs officers to confiscate items deemed “seditious” and allow police with magistrate-issued warrants to compel suspects to unlock mobile phones or computers — refusal could result in jail time and financial penalties.
The incident at Book Punch has drawn attention as another test of how far authorities are willing to go to suppress perceived threats. For many in Hong Kong’s tightened public sphere, even selling a book has become a dangerous act of defiance.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from The Guardian and Reuters
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