Lam Wing-kee, a former Hong Kong bookseller who became a symbol of resistance to Beijing's crackdown on free speech, has died in Taiwan, the island's official Central News Agency reported, citing an unnamed source. He was 70.
The news agency did not provide a cause of death, but stated that Lam had a cancer relapse last year and was admitted to MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Tuesday. He fell into a coma on Wednesday and died Thursday evening.
Lam was one of five individuals associated with Causeway Bay Books who disappeared in late 2015. The bookstore was known for selling titles that purportedly revealed secrets about the personal lives and scandals of Chinese leaders. Another associate, publisher Gui Minhai, was later sentenced to 10 years in prison in China on charges of illegally providing intelligence overseas.
In 2016, Lam gave a public account of his detention that contradicted official Chinese statements. He stated that Chinese authorities apprehended him in October 2015 after he crossed the border from Hong Kong into Shenzhen. He described being blindfolded for a 13-hour train journey to Ningbo, where he was held under constant surveillance for five months. He also stated he was compelled to appear on Chinese television to confess to unspecified crimes.
Following his experience, Lam relocated to Taipei in 2019, citing concerns about potential legal issues. In 2020, he reopened Causeway Bay Books in the Taiwanese capital.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te offered his condolences via Facebook, calling Lam's passing deeply saddening and stating that his courage would not fade. Lai added that Taiwan would remember Lam's reminder of the preciousness of freedom and the continuous effort required to defend democracy.
In June, Lam informed the Central News Agency that he had temporarily closed his Taipei bookstore due to health reasons, without specifying a reopening date.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have intensified controls in the territory, particularly following large-scale anti-government protests in 2019. In June, Hong Kong police arrested two individuals under a national security law on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations.