Key facts
- Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee has died at the age of 70.
- Lam had fled to Taiwan in 2019 after being detained by Chinese agents in 2015.
- He was admitted to Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Tuesday.
- He fell into a coma and was pronounced dead on Thursday evening.
Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who had sought refuge in Taiwan in 2019 due to fears of persecution in mainland China, has died at the age of 70. Lam was admitted to Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Tuesday, but his condition deteriorated, leading to a coma. He was pronounced dead on Thursday evening, according to reports citing Taiwanese media.
Lam was detained by Chinese agents in 2015 while working at a bookshop in Hong Kong that sold publications critical of the Chinese leadership. He disappeared along with four other staff members of Causeway Bay Books, sparking international concern. Provincial authorities in Guangdong confirmed in February 2016 that Lam and two others were in custody in relation to a case involving Gui Minhai, a writer and shareholder of the book store. They were accused of illegal activities on the mainland and appeared on Phoenix Television confessing to sending banned books to mainland customers.
Lam was allowed to return to Hong Kong eight months after his disappearance to retrieve customer information. Three days after his return, on the day he was due to go back to the mainland, he held a press conference stating he was abducted by mainland officials at the Hong Kong-China border control in Shenzhen. He claimed he was transported blindfolded and handcuffed to Ningbo, where he was held in solitary confinement.