Human Rights Icon: Hong Kong Bookseller Lam Wing-kee Dies in Taiwan
Lam Wing-kee, the Hong Kong bookseller who symbolized resistance to Beijing's suppression of speech freedom, has died in Taiwan at 70. His life, marked by abduction by Chinese authorities and his defiant reopening of Causeway Bay Books in Taipei, underscored the ongoing struggle for democracy and human rights in the face of authoritarianism. His passing highlights the critical importance of free expression and the continued erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong.Lam Wing-kee, a former Hong Kong bookseller who became an international symbol of resistance against Beijing’s escalating crackdown on freedom of speech, has died in Taiwan at the age of 70, the island’s official Central News Agency reported. Lam’s death, which occurred on Thursday evening after he fell into a coma on Wednesday, followed a cancer relapse last year and his admission to MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei. His passing marks the end of a life dedicated to championing free expression in the face of authoritarian pressure.
Lam, who managed Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, gained global attention in late 2015 when he was one of five individuals affiliated with the bookstore to disappear. Causeway Bay Books was known for selling publications and magazines often unavailable in mainland China, including those that purportedly exposed secrets and scandals concerning Chinese leaders. These disappearances fueled widespread concern about Beijing’s increasing influence over Hong Kong’s autonomous legal system and the erosion of its guaranteed freedoms.
In a defiant act, Lam provided a detailed and explosive account of his experience in 2016, directly contradicting official Chinese narratives. He revealed that he was seized by Chinese authorities in October 2015 upon crossing the border from Hong Kong into Shenzhen. Blindfolded, he endured a 13-hour train journey to Ningbo in eastern China, where he was held under constant, 24-hour surveillance by rotating two-person teams for five months. He further disclosed that he was coerced into making a televised confession to crimes on Chinese state media.
The plight of the Causeway Bay Booksellers included Gui Minhai, a publisher and part-owner, who disappeared from his holiday home in Thailand. Gui was later sentenced in China in 2020 to a decade in prison on charges of illegally providing intelligence overseas, a case that underscored the long reach of Chinese law enforcement.
Fearing further legal persecution, Lam Wing-kee relocated to Taipei in 2019 and courageously reopened Causeway Bay Books in the Taiwanese capital in 2020, maintaining its original name and mission. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed profound condolences via Facebook, stating that while Lam’s passing was saddening, the courage he embodied would not fade. President Lai affirmed that Taiwan would remember Lam as a figure who, in an ordinary yet steadfast manner, illuminated the preciousness of freedom and the generational effort required to defend democracy.
Just a month before his death, Lam had informed the Central News Agency that the Taipei bookstore had temporarily closed due to his deteriorating health, with no certain date for its reopening. His legacy continued to resonate, as evidenced by an unnamed man from Hong Kong who left a white rose outside the shop’s entrance, a silent tribute to Lam’s enduring fight.
Lam’s story unfolded amidst a broader context of tightening control in Hong Kong by Chinese and local authorities, particularly following the massive anti-government protests of 2019. This intensified suppression has effectively silenced virtually all dissent. Recently, in June, Hong Kong police, operating under the city's 2024 national security law, arrested two individuals reportedly associated with another bookstore, suspected of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations, signaling an ongoing clampdown on freedom of expression in the territory.