Lam Wing-kee, a former Hong Kong bookseller known for his opposition to Beijing’s restrictions on free speech, has passed away in Taiwan. The 70-year-old’s death was reported by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, which cited a cancer relapse. Lam was admitted to MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei, fell into a coma, and died Thursday evening.

Lam once worked at Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong but relocated to Taipei in 2019 due to legal concerns. He reopened the bookstore under the same name in 2020. President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan expressed condolences, noting Lam’s impact in advocating for freedom and democracy.

In late 2015, Lam was one of five individuals linked to Causeway Bay Books who vanished. The bookstore sold titles revealing information about Chinese leaders. Publisher Gui Minhai, another associate, disappeared from Thailand and was eventually imprisoned in China for allegedly distributing intelligence overseas.

Lam shared a detailed account in 2016 of his detainment by Chinese authorities. Seized in October 2015 in Shenzhen, he was transported blindfolded on a 13-hour train journey to Ningbo. There, he was kept under constant surveillance for five months. Lam was also coerced into a televised confession.

Despite health challenges, Lam closed his Taipei bookstore temporarily earlier this year but did not specify a reopening date. Meanwhile, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have increased their control since the 2019 protests, leading to arrests under a new national security law.