Five nabbed over display, sale of seditious materials

National security police on Wednesday arrested five people on suspicion of committing acts with seditious intent for allegedly displaying and selling publications that incite hatred against the SAR government, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. The suspects – two men and three women aged between 30 and 59 – were arrested following searches on two shops in Mong Kok on Wednesday. Authorities also seized a batch of seditious books. The arrestees, who are being detained for further investigation, are suspected of contravening the offence of “doing an act that has a seditious intention with a seditious intention” under Section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. Police say they had launched an investigation after receiving a referral from the Customs and Excise Department that a batch of books with seditious intention was intercepted inside a consignment shipped to Hong Kong from overseas. In a statement, the force reminded members of the public that “doing an act that has a seditious intention with a seditious intention” is a serious offence and urged people not to defy the law. Violators face a prison term of up to seven years upon first conviction. Edited by Cecil Wong