Family Alarmed as Jailed Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai’s Health Spirals in Solitary Confinement

Hong Kong’s jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 77, is reportedly suffering severe health decline as he awaits a landmark verdict under the city’s sweeping national-security law. According to his children, the diabetic Apple Daily founder has lost “a significant amount of weight,” with his teeth “rotting” and fingernails turning grey before falling out in the sweltering solitary-confinement cell where he has been held since 2020. Lai’s family say guards have denied him basic comforts—such as a simple request for curry sauce—and restricted access to Catholic communion, gestures they describe as part of a campaign to “break his spirit.” The allegations come days before Lai turns 78 and as judges prepare to rule on charges of “sedition” and “collusion with foreign forces,” crimes that carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Closing arguments in the high-profile case have been postponed repeatedly this year, most recently so doctors could fit Lai with a heart-monitoring device after he appeared “noticeably thinner” in court. The delays underscore mounting concerns that the veteran pro-democracy figure may not survive prolonged incarceration. Lai—who holds British citizenship—was first arrested in August 2020, weeks after Beijing imposed the national-security law that criminalises dissent. His newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced to shut in 2021 following police raids and asset freezes; dozens of its journalists now face related charges. Rights groups say the tycoon’s case has become the ultimate test of Hong Kong’s press freedom and judicial independence. Amnesty International warns that a life sentence would “cement the city’s descent into authoritarianism,” while the Committee to Protect Journalists calls Lai’s detention “an existential threat to free media in Asia.” International pressure is intensifying. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has raised Lai’s plight directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and US President Donald Trump has vowed to “do everything [he] can” to secure the tycoon’s release. Lai’s son Sebastien argues his father’s death in custody would turn him into “a martyr for democracy,” urging London and Washington to escalate diplomatic efforts. For Beijing, however, Lai remains a symbol of what officials label “foreign-backed subversion.” Mainland state media routinely portray him as a “traitor” bankrolled by Western interests, highlighting meetings with US politicians and op-eds critical of Chinese rule. Legal scholars warn that the verdict—expected within weeks—will reverberate beyond Lai’s personal fate. A conviction could deter remaining independent outlets, foreign investors and civil-society groups, hastening what analysts describe as Hong Kong’s transition “from financial hub to controlled city.” With global attention fixed on the courtroom drama, Lai’s deteriorating health adds urgency to calls for humanitarian intervention. As one diplomat told reporters, “Hong Kong’s promise of the rule of law will be judged by whether Jimmy Lai leaves prison alive—or at all.”