Five people have been arrested recently in Hong Kong during searches carried out in two independent bookstores, a police operation that has revived criticism over the use of national security legislation and sedition laws.
Amnesty International has questioned these arrests and has argued that those working in businesses dedicated to the sale of books should not be deprived of their liberty solely for performing their professional duties.
The organization has pointed out that the application of crimes related to sedition against these businesses highlights, in its view, the extent to which Hong Kong's national security framework has become a tool to limit dissenting voices. According to Amnesty International, these practices are also reducing spaces for the exchange of ideas, critical thinking, and public debate.
The entity has also demanded that the Hong Kong authorities immediately cease the application of national security and sedition laws against people who exercise their rights peacefully, while also insisting that it be guaranteed that the population can access content, publish materials, and share ideas without exposing themselves to possible arrests.
The message disseminated alongside the statement summarizes the organization's concern about the situation of independent bookstores. It emphasizes the fact that "in Hong Kong, you can be criminalized for what you have on your shelf."
Amnesty International has added in that same message that the increase in actions against independent bookstores recorded during this year reflects, in its interpretation, a worrying transformation of the territory, "a place where you can be arrested for a book."