HRF calls for the immediate release of former district councillor and shop owner Leticia Wong Man-huen, who was arrested on baseless charges of “sedition” and money laundering during a police raid of Hunter Bookstore in Hong Kong on June 24.
A Hong Kong police statement alleges that the two individuals displayed items with “seditious intent” and sold “seditious materials” that incite hatred against the Hong Kong government. The two are also accused of receiving funds from “foreign political organizations.”
Hunter Bookstore was one of the few venues in Hong Kong that continued to sell “sensitive materials” like the biography of imprisoned media figure Jimmy Lai and host discussions with opposition figures, including former lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and cartoonist Zunzi.
Before the raid, the store had already faced constant government harassment and “administration checks” for displaying commemorative motifs and references, including “35/5” signs for the Tiananmen Square Massacre or “612” for the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
