Lam Wing-kee, a prominent Hong Kong bookseller known for his defiance against Chinese authorities and his role in exposing Beijing’s efforts to suppress dissent, died on July 2 in Taipei, Taiwan. He was 70 years old. The Taiwan Ministry of Culture announced his death, attributing it to lung cancer. Mr. Lam had been living in exile in Taiwan since 2019.

Mr. Lam was the longtime operator of the Causeway Bay Bookstore in Hong Kong, a widely recognized source for books banned in mainland China. The store specialized in provocative titles critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including unauthorized biographies and exposés about top officials, such as President Xi Jinping. These books were popular among mainland Chinese readers who had limited access to such materials.

In late 2015, Mr. Lam became one of five booksellers abducted by Chinese authorities in a case that drew international condemnation. He was seized while crossing the border in Shenzhen and subsequently held in solitary confinement for five months under harsh conditions. During his eight months of detention, Chinese officials forced him to record multiple scripted confessions accusing him of illegally selling banned books. The footage was broadcast on state television in February 2016. Released after agreeing to provide authorities with customer information, Mr. Lam instead publicly denounced his treatment, describing his abduction and imprisonment in detail.

Upon his return to Hong Kong in mid-2016, Mr. Lam revealed the ordeal at a surprise press conference, standing defiant against Beijing’s attempts to silence him. His case galvanized public protests in Hong Kong, where thousands marched to demand the release of detained booksellers and to express concerns over the erosion of civil liberties under Chinese rule.

Mr. Lam had sold Causeway Bay Bookstore to Mighty Current Media in 2014 but remained as its manager. Several individuals affiliated with Mighty Current, including co-founder Gui Minhai, were also detained by Chinese authorities; Gui remains in custody. Prior to his abduction, Mr. Lam had made covert trips to the mainland bringing banned books across the border.

Following the introduction of a controversial extradition law in Hong Kong in 2019, which many feared could be used to target dissidents, Mr. Lam chose to seek refuge in Taiwan. There, he reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taipei in 2020, turning it into a hub for exiled Hong Kong activists. He frequently warned that Taiwan faced similar risks from Beijing.

Born in Hong Kong on December 16, 1955, Mr. Lam’s family originally came from mainland China during the civil war. He began his career in publishing in the mid-1980s, later founding Causeway Bay Bookstore in 1994. His experience in the book trade and his commitment to free speech made him a symbolic figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture praised Mr. Lam’s efforts, calling his bookstore “an inspiration and role model for democracy, liberty and human rights across borders.” He is survived by two sons and his ex-wife, all residing in England.

The broader crackdown on booksellers continues in Hong Kong. Recently, independent bookstores, including the Greenfield Bookstore where Mr. Lam once worked, have been raided and staff arrested, underscoring ongoing pressures faced by the city’s literary and pro-democracy communities.

Mr. Lam, who vowed never to return to mainland China, described the country as “an absurd country” in a 2018 interview. His enduring legacy highlights the challenges faced by individuals standing against repression amid tightening controls over freedom of expression in the region.