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Hong Kong security chief says booksellers must check titles against national security laws
The security minister stated that booksellers bear responsibility for ensuring titles do not violate national security legislation. The comments followed police raids on two independent bookstores and the arrest of five people on suspicion of sedition.
Jul 16, 5:57 AM·1m read2 sources
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Hong Kong’s security chief stated that booksellers are responsible for ensuring their titles do not violate national security legislation. The remarks came a day after police raided two independent stores and arrested five people on suspicion of sedition.
” He argued that such a list would create loopholes allowing offenders to evade the law by changing a title.
Raids and arrests Police searched the bookshop Have a Nice Stay in Prince Edward and the Greenfield Book Store in Mong Kok on Wednesday. Officers seized books and arrested five people for allegedly displaying and selling seditious publications. The arrests followed a referral from the Customs and Excise Department, which had intercepted an overseas shipment of books deemed seditious, according to police.
“If you are a bookseller, you have a responsibility to ensure that the books you sell do not endanger national security,” Tang said. The security minister compared stores selling seditious books to vendors offering contaminated or poisonous food.
