June
2025
As the National Security Law enters its fifth year, a broader crackdown on dissent which once focused on major opposition figures has moved to target small businesses, restaurants, and bookstores owned by people once associated with the pro-democracy movement. Pro-democracy (“yellow”) shops report that they are facing increasingly onerous government inspections, anonymous complaint letters, and regulatory checks, with food authorities recently warning restaurants that their operating licenses could be revoked if deemed to endanger national security or public interest.
For example, former pro-democracy district councilor Leticia Wong’s bookstore, long a “last resort” for Hong Kongers seeking “liberal” discussion and a “space for civil society,” faced 92 incidents of government scrutiny between July 2022 and June 2025, including inspections and violation warnings. Pressure has also extended beyond official inspections to anonymous denunciations, with former activists losing jobs and opportunities after anonymous letters were sent to employers and business partners. Despite this, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee has attempted to defend the security crackdown as targeting only an extremely small portion of people, even as critics argue that the city is clearly using regulatory powers to monitor dissent without proper checks and balances.
Summary
The expansion of Hong Kong’s National Security Law enforcement from prominent opposition leaders to everyday businesses and civil society spaces represents a systematic dismantling of the territory’s remaining civil society infrastructure and yet another escalation in Hong Kong authorities’ quest to quash dissent. This approach mirrors classic authoritarian tactics used during previous periods of political repression, where governments avoid the appearance of direct political persecution by employing ostensibly neutral administrative tools to achieve the same ends.
By targeting “yellow” shops, bookstores, and restaurants through regulatory harassment rather than direct prosecution, authorities are effectively weaponizing bureaucratic processes to achieve political ends in yet another example of how national security directives have permeated every part of government in Hong Kong. The case of Leticia Wong’s bookstore—facing 92 government interventions in less than three years—illustrates how the state is methodically eliminating spaces where democratic discourse could survive, while the use of anonymous denunciations creates a climate of fear that extends the influence of Hong Kong’s security state deep into personal and professional relationships.
Analysis
