Trending Now - Hong Kong Bookstore Employees Detained Over Jimmy Lai Biography
WHO:
President Trump, Jimmy Lai, Pong Yat-ming (bookstore owner), Book Punch (bookstore), Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited, AD Internet Limited, Hong Kong authorities, Secretary for Security Chris Tang
WHAT:
A Hong Kong bookstore owner and his staff were reportedly arrested on suspicion of selling seditious publications, including a biography of Jimmy Lai.
Three companies linked to Jimmy Lai's now-shuttered newspaper, Apple Daily, were ordered to be removed from the city’s companies registry and were declared “prohibited organizations.”
Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2026.
The three companies were fined more than 3 million Hong Kong dollars (about $384,000).
Police searched the bookstore and seized "The Troublemaker," a biography of Lai.
Six former Apple Daily staffers received jail terms ranging from six years and nine months to 10 years.
WHERE:
Hong Kong, Book Punch bookstore, Apple Daily's office site, Next Digital (parent company of Apple Daily)
WHEN:
The arrests occurred on March 24th, 2026.
The companies were dissolved on March 24th, 2026.
Jimmy Lai was convicted in December 2025.
Lai was sentenced in February 2026.
The national security law was introduced in 2024.
The national security law was imposed in 2020.
WHY:
The arrests and company dissolutions are part of efforts to safeguard national security and address concerns over seditious publications.
Critics argue these actions reflect the decline of civil liberties in Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
HOW:
Authorities amended the implementation rules to the 2020 security law, granting customs the power to seize items suspected of carrying seditious intention.
Police can request passwords or decryption methods from individuals during investigations, with penalties for refusal including up to one year in prison and a fine of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $12,800).
(UPDATED March 26, 2026 01:23 UTC)
On March 24, 2026, a bookstore owner in Hong Kong and his staff were arrested on suspicion of selling seditious publications, including a biography of Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year. In connection with these events, three companies linked to Lai's now-defunct newspaper, Apple Daily, were dissolved and declared prohibited organizations, facing fines totaling over 3 million Hong Kong dollars. These actions are part of ongoing efforts to enforce national security laws, which have raised concerns about the decline of civil liberties in Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.