Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in a reprise of anti-China protests of over a year ago, demanding to know the whereabouts of five missing people linked to a local publisher of books critical of Beijing's leadership.
Other publishers and book vendors are unnerved by the mysterious disappearances, and in some cases they have pulled books critical of Beijing's leaders from their shelves. In three bookstores selling political books visited by Reuters, owners declined to be interviewed, citing the fear of mainland anger. Hong Kong, a former British colony handed back to China in 1997, is constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and autonomy from Beijing for 50 years but the series of disappearances has led to suspicions that mainland law enforcement officers were ignoring the law.
Lee Bo, 65, a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books and a British passport holder, went missing from Hong Kong in late December, although his wife has withdrawn a missing persons report saying he travelled to China voluntarily to assist in an unspecified investigation.
Four other associates of the publisher have previously been unaccounted for, since late last year. Dressed in yellow and holding up yellow umbrellas, the hallmark of anti-China protests that crippled parts of the city in late 2014, the protesters demanded to know the whereabouts of the missing booksellers. "Today's Lee Bo is you and me tomorrow," the protesters shouted.
The demonstrators gathered outside government headquarters - the scene of pro-democracy protests in late 2014 - carrying banners that read: "Release Hong Kong Booksellers Now!"
The Hong Kong government said in a statement it was "firmly committed to protecting the freedom of expression and freedom of publication".
"The rule of law is the cornerstone of our society," it said, adding that police are investigating the cases and have sought assistance from mainland authorities. Protest organisers said about 6,000 people took part.
"Nobody is safe in Hong Kong now," said Bao Pu, who published the secret memoirs of Zhao Ziyang, a former Communist Party general secretary who was purged after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. His father, Bao Tong, was the most senior Chinese official jailed over the protests in Beijing.
As of Thursday, over 500 publishers, writers, booksellers and members of the public had signed an online petition pledging to: "Not fear the white terror and uphold the principle of publication freedom". White terror is a term used to describe periods of political persecution by authoritarian regimes.