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Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who was detained by China in 2015, dies in Taiwan at 70
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Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who was detained by China in 2015, dies in Taiwan at 70

Jul 2, 2026

Former Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who became a symbol of resistance after being detained by Chinese authorities in 2015, died of lung cancer at age 70 in Taipei on July 2, 2026. Lam, who fled to Taiwan in 2019 and reopened his bookstore, famously exposed his five-month detention and forced confession. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te paid tribute to Lam's courage, while Hong Kong continues to tighten controls on speech under national security laws.

Lam Wing-kee death in Taiwan

  • ▪Lam Wing-kee moved to Taiwan in 2019 and reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taipei in April 2020, which he temporarily closed in June 2026 due to health issues
  • ▪Former Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee died at age 70 on July 2, 2026, at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan
  • ▪Lam Wing-kee was admitted to Mackay Memorial Hospital on June 30, 2026, fell into a coma, and died following a relapse of stage four lung adenocarcinoma

2015 Causeway Bay Books detentions

  • ▪Causeway Bay Books publisher Gui Minhai disappeared from Thailand in late 2015 and was later sentenced to 10 years in prison in China
  • ▪Lam Wing-kee was one of five individuals affiliated with Hong Kong's Causeway Bay Books who disappeared in late 2015

Lam's 2016 detention testimony

  • ▪Lam Wing-kee stated that Chinese authorities forced him to appear on television to confess to crimes during his 2015 detention
  • ▪In 2016, Lam Wing-kee publicly testified that Chinese authorities seized him in Shenzhen in October 2015 and held him under 24-hour surveillance in Ningbo

Hong Kong speech freedom crackdown

  • ▪Chinese and Hong Kong authorities tightened controls over Hong Kong following massive anti-government protests in 2019
  • ▪Hong Kong police arrested two people in June 2026 on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations

Taiwan political responses

  • ▪Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed deep sadness over the death of Lam Wing-kee and praised his courage in defending democracy and freedom
  • ▪Taiwan President Lai Ching-te stated in a Facebook post that Taiwan will remember Lam Wing-kee's steadfast reminder of how precious freedom is

2 sources

Npr
Ex-HK bookseller Lam Wing-kee, detained by China in 2015, dies in Taiwan at 70
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Scmp
Taiwan’s leader pays tribute to Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee after his death
View source article
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Hong KongChinaChina human rights disputesTaiwan