Hong Kong: Journalists targeted, booksellers arrested as government expands its powers

Hong Kong’s civic space is rated as ‘closed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. The draconian 2020 National Security Law (NSL) has been used to prosecute activists, journalists and critics with heavy penalties, while sedition charges have been brought against activists and critics to silence dissent. A 2024 security law - Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (Article 23) or SNSO - added another layer of repression in the territory. Warrants have also been issued against exiled pro-democracy activists. Peaceful protesters have been convicted and some remain behind bars. The right to freedom of association has also been undermined by the introduction of the NSL, with civil society groups, unions and opposition parties ceasing to operate.

According to Amnesty International, in 2025 the authorities continued to weaponise and expand the scope of the NSL and related laws to criminalise the exercising of the right to freedom of expression. Of the cases prosecuted under national security-related legislation between July 2020 and June 2025, 85 percent involved the legitimate right to freedom of expression which should not have been criminalised; bail was denied in 89 percent of cases; and the average duration of pretrial detention was 11 months.

In recent months, journalists have faced harassment and even deportation while book sellers were also targeted. New expanded powers were given to the police while the Chief Executive could designate national security cases that could undermine fair trial rights. There was suppression around the 37th Tiananmen anniversary while an LGBTQ event was cancelled.

Expression

Journalists harassed and stalked following Wang Fuk Court fire hearings

In early April 2026, independent media outlet InMedia reported in a blog post that reporters received harassing text messages and were suspected of being followed by unidentified individuals after covering the Wang Fuk Court fire independent committee public hearings beginning on 19th March 2026. InMedia filed two police reports regarding suspected stalking and harassment.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) issued a statement on 13th April 2026, strongly condemning the incidents, stating that stalking aims to create a “chilling effect,” making “every reporter present aware they could be under surveillance at any time, thereby invisibly restricting reporting freedom.”

As previously documented, on 26th November 2025, a fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a housing complex under maintenance that killed at least 151 people and injured 79. The government’s preliminary investigations found that some of the construction netting covering the eight buildings did not meet fire safety standards and 13 people linked to the maintenance company were arrested for manslaughter. Following the fire, there were growing demands for government accountability. In response, authorities have suppressed peaceful criticism and grassroots initiatives.

High Court upholds conviction of journalist

On 29th May 2026, the conviction of Ronson Chan Long-sing, a veteran journalist, former chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association and former deputy assignment editor at the now-defunct Stand News, for “obstructing a police officer” was upheld on appeal.

He was sentenced to five days in prison, which he began serving immediately. Chan was initially arrested in September 2022 while covering a homeowners' meeting at a residential estate in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok area for independent media Channel C, after the journalist questioned a plainclothes police officer who attempted to stop him from reporting, alleging Chan was acting “suspiciously.”

The HKJA expressed “deep regret,” warning that the ruling fails to protect constitutional rights and sets a restrictive standard for journalists dealing with police. It noted that Chan is the 20th journalist imprisoned or remanded since 2019, due to their reporting activities.

Foreign journalist deported for being a ‘foreign agent’

In April 2026, RSF revealed that a French journalist had been denied entry to Hong Kong, detained at the airport and deported back to Paris – the first publicly documented case of its kind involving a foreign correspondent.

Antoine Védeilhé, a former FRANCE 24 China correspondent, has reported across Asia for nearly a decade and covered Hong Kong extensively since 2016, including the 2019 pro-democracy protests. He was working on a documentary on Hong Kong.

In November 2025, he was stopped at passport control upon arriving at the Hong Kong International Airport from France, and interrogated for three hours. They also searched his belongings and carried out a full body search. He was then escorted directly to a flight back to Paris.

Later, through sources in Hong Kong’s immigration department, he was told he had been flagged as a “foreign agent” – a label commonly used in cases linked to national security concerns.

The following day, his employer received an anonymous email warning against broadcasting a documentary he had worked on, “Hong Kong ne répond plus” (Hong Kong Is No Longer Answering), which examines the city’s political transformation under Beijing’s tightening control.

His cameraman, who was allowed entry, was followed by plainclothes officers from the moment he arrived at his hotel. In the following days, there was a hacking attempt on Védeilhé’s private email account and his sources in the documentary were harassed by the national security police.

According to RSF, Védeilhé is not the first journalist to be prevented from entering Hong Kong. RSF data has found that at least 13 journalists have been denied a visa or barred from entering Hong Kong since the enactment of the draconian National Security Law in 2020, and there is reason to believe that many cases have gone unreported due to fears of retaliation.

RSF and Védeilhé carefully planned not to share the details of his ordeal during the documentary’s production to ensure the safety of his sources. Now, as the film was released in May 2026, the NGO has published their account.

Journalists silenced by security laws

Hong Kong remained in 140th place on Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) global press freedom index of 180 countries and territories, released on 30th April 2026.

RSF stated that since the 1997 handover to China, most media have fallen under the control of the government or pro-Chinese groups. Since 2020, the authorities have targeted dozens of journalists with bogus charges in an effort to silence them. Some of them have been handed heavy prison sentences and are subjected to mistreatment in detention.

The National Security Law is used to gag independent voices in the name of combating “terrorism”, “secession”, “subversion” and “collusion with foreign forces”. Due to its ambiguous phrasing, the law looks as though it could apply to any journalist covering Hong Kong, whether they reside in the territory or not

Booksellers arrested for selling 'seditious' publications

On 24th March 2026, national security police arrested Book Punch founder Pong Yat-ming and three female staff for allegedly “knowingly selling a publication that has a seditious intention” under Article 23’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. All four were granted bail on 25th March 2026.

Officers raided their Sham Shui Po bookstore on 24th March, seizing allegedly seditious publications, including Jimmy Lai’s biography “The Troublemaker.” Lai was sentenced in February 2026 to 20 years, the longest national security term, for collusion and sedition. “The Troublemaker” is written by Mark Clifford, a former director of Lai’s Next Digital media conglomerate and an ex-editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post.

Book Punch stated on 26th March 2026 that it would close for some time as they need to purchase new mobile phones and computers after the arrests.

According to EU SEE, this represents an escalation from previous regulatory prosecutions: in November 2025 they were charged with managing an unregistered school under the Education Ordinance for a Spanish class. Pong Yat-ming was found guilty and he was fined a total of HK$32,000 (USD 4,079) at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts in April 2026. In January 2026 they were charged with operating an unlicensed public entertainment venue under Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance for a stand-up comedy class.

On 25 June 2026, it was reported that the Hong Kong had arrested two people on suspicion of selling ‘seditious publications’ and receiving funds from foreign political organisations. The government’s statement did not identify those arrested. But local media outlets, including the Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao, quoted unidentified sources saying one was Hunter Bookstore’s owner Leticia Wong.

Association

Authorities amend National Security Law implementation rules to expand police powers

On 23rd March 2026, the Hong Kong government gazetted and implemented major amendments to Article 43 of the National Security Law implementation rules.

Amendments empower the police to require persons under investigation suspected of endangering national security to provide passwords or decryption methods for electronic devices and “any reasonable and necessary information or assistance.” Refusing to comply carries up to one year’s imprisonment and a HK$100,000 (USD 12,750) fine; providing false or misleading information carries up to three years’ imprisonment and a HK$500,000 (USD 63,751) fine.

Individuals cannot refuse by citing “privilege against self-incrimination,” and materials obtained via passwords can be used for prosecution. “Specified persons” include anyone using or having used a device or knowing passwords - potentially including cohabitating family members or spouses who are forced to assist with unlocking devices.

Amendments also grant customs officers power to seize items deemed having “seditious intention” through summary procedures, regardless of whether anyone was arrested. They also expand property confiscation mechanisms, shifting burden of proof to convicted persons to prove the confiscation was “manifestly disproportionate.”

The amendments also increased the maximum penalty from six months to one year in jail for a “foreign agent” in Hong Kong who fails to disclose information sought by the authorities. A foreign agent is defined as someone acting for a foreign government, political party, or certain international organisation in Hong Kong.

Activists’ unjust trial for peaceful Tiananmen commemoration

In May 2026, the trial of two activists who organised Tiananmen vigils in Hong Kong resumed. The court heard the final arguments. If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.

Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan were among the members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (Hong Kong Alliance) charged with “inciting subversion of state power” under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law in September 2021. Another defendant, former lawmaker Albert Ho, pleaded guilty when the trial opened in January 2026.

They have been held in pre-trial detention ever since, having been repeatedly denied bail, and face up to 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted. Authorities said the annual Tiananmen vigil the Hong Kong Alliance had organised since 1990 was evidence of the group “endangering national security”.

Amnesty International said: “The prosecution’s case relies on vague, overly broad and arbitrary definitions of ‘subversion’. The charges against Chow and Lee should be dropped, and the authorities must ensure that people in Hong Kong can freely remember the events of 4 June 1989 without fear of retaliation.”

New powers for Chief Executive in ‘national security’ cases

On 8th June 2026, the Hong Kong government proposed subsidiary legislation under Section 110 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) – also known as Article 23 – that crystalises the Chief Executive’s power to designate certain acts in a criminal case as “involving national security”.

According to Amnesty International, this could in theory turn any criminal case into a national security case, meaning it would be bound by the specific legal procedures under the national security regime, including the presumption against bail and being tried only by judges selected by the Chief Executive.

Just one day after proposing it, the Hong Kong government gazetted the legislation with immediate effect and without public consultation.

Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, said: “This legislation, which allows the Chief Executive to designate any criminal act as ‘involving national security’, shows the Hong Kong government’s intent to deploy its sweeping powers in a way that severely undermines defendant rights at every stage of legal proceedings - from investigation and bail applications to trial proceedings and release.”

Peaceful Assembly

Pre-emptive policing and suppression around the 37th Tiananmen anniversary

According to EU SEE, on 4th June 2026, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, Hong Kong police deployed extensive pre-emptive security measures to deter public commemoration. Authorities stationed a heavy, overwhelming police presence in Causeway Bay and around Victoria Park—the traditional site of the city’s annual candlelight vigils, which in recent years has been deliberately occupied by a state-sponsored “Hometown Market Carnival” during the anniversary.

Despite the severe level of police suppression, individuals still carried out their actions. For instance, a former standing committee member of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China went to Victoria Park to pay tribute by reading out the 1989 victims’ list, while local performance artists attempting to mourn were also actively obstructed and intercepted. Citizens were routinely stopped, searched, and taken away for mild, symbolic acts of expression. In 2021 the leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China were arrested and now are on trial for allegation of inciting subversion. The verdict is expected in mid or late July 2026.

LGBTQ event cancelled as venue pulls out

According to EU SEE, in May 2026, Pink Dot carnival scheduled for 14th June 2026 was cancelled for a second year in a row. Pink Dot HK is Hong Kong’s largest LGBTQ event that has been held annually since 2014. The organiser released a statement on 18th May 2026 that despite efforts to apply for the necessary licences, they had not received approval from the relevant authorities. The venue that they had planned for, Stanley Plaza and Murray House, both managed by Link REIT, informed them that “due to licensing issues, the venue cannot be rented to Pink Dot HK for public activities.”

In 2025, the carnival was also cancelled after the venue Art Park in the West Kowloon Cultural District pulled out without giving any explanation. Licensing requirements and possibility of venue last minute cancellation have frustrated public event organisers.

Large-scale LGBTQ events have become a rarity in Hong Kong in recent years since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020. While LGBTQ groups have not been specifically targeted, activists say it has become harder to host big events. In November 2025, the Hong Kong Pride Committee scrapped an outdoor festival at Kwun Tong Promenade after being told the venue was not available.