Following the adoption of the new Hong Kong Security Law on March 19, the European & International Booksellers Federation and the International Publishers Association expressed concerns about the limits this law will create on the freedom to publish and on bookselling in Hong Kong. At issue are the bill’s sweeping provisions and broad definitions. The Guardian recently reported that the impact of the new law on publishers and booksellers has been immediate.
“The steady deterioration of the freedom of expression in Hong Kong is alarming and disheartening,” said EIBF co-president Jean-Luc Treutenaere. “The book publishing and bookselling communities are under threat by repressive security laws, which are resulting in vibrant and beloved bookshops shutting down. Any closure, and particularly in current times, is a massive loss to the book world.”
