The American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, Authors Guild, the European & International Booksellers Federation and PEN American Center have released a statement about the disappearance of the five Hong Kong booksellers.
Earlier this week Hong Kong legislators held a press conference expressing concern that the five missing book professionals from the Mighty Current publishing house were taken for working on books critical of the Chinese government.
Here is an excerpt from the association’s joint statement:
ABA, AAP, AG, EIBF and PEN urge the Chinese government to explain the disappearance of the Hong Kong booksellers. If they are in custody, we call for their immediate release. When Great Britain relinquished control of Hong Kong in 1997, China promised to protect freedom of press there for 50 years. The summary abduction of men who are engaged in the publication and sale of books would be a very serious violation of press freedom and would have a profoundly chilling effect on free speech in Hong Kong.