Hong Kong Bookseller Lam Wing-kee Dies at 70 in Taiwan
Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller known for selling material critical of the Chinese government, has died in Taiwan at age 70 after battling lung cancer.
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Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller known for publishing and selling works critical of the Chinese government, has died in Taiwan at the age of 70. He passed away after a battle with lung cancer, according to BBC World.
Lam gained international attention in 2015 when he disappeared and later revealed he had been detained by Chinese authorities. He was one of five staff members from the now-shuttered Causeway Bay Books, which specialized in politically sensitive titles. Upon his release and return to Hong Kong, Lam publicly detailed his detention, saying he was held in mainland China and subjected to political pressure.
His death was confirmed by eNCA, which reported he died in Taiwan. Lam had relocated there in later years, living in self-imposed exile. He remained a vocal critic of Beijing’s encroachments on Hong Kong’s autonomy and continued to speak about the importance of free expression.
‘I have no regrets,’ Lam said in a 2020 interview cited by international media, reflecting on his role in challenging censorship. ‘If we stay silent, tyranny wins.’
Lam’s case drew widespread condemnation from human rights groups and foreign governments, who raised concerns about the erosion of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle. His death marks the end of a prominent chapter in Hong Kong’s struggle for press freedom.