On 24 June 2026, the police National Security Department arrested Leticia Wong Man-huen, a former district councillor with the defunct Civic Party and the founder of the independent Hunter Bookstore. Authorities accused her of displaying and selling publications with seditious intent under the city’s national security laws, as well as money laundering. In press releases and pro-government media reports, the money laundering offence is framed around allegations that she received remittances from “foreign political organisations.” Notably, the legal definition of a “political organisation” under Hong Kong’s security framework is notoriously broad and can easily encompass overseas civil society groups, diaspora networks, or independent cultural funds. Leticia Wong was released on 26 June 2026 on police bail.
Prior to the arrest, the bookstore had displayed political song lyrics in its window and sold symbolic candles for the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown on 4 June 2026. Following the police raid and the arrest of its founders, Hunter Bookstore has remained closed.