Businessman Jimmy Lai (黎智英) is regarded as one of Hong Kong’s most prominent media figures, having founded Next Digital and Apple Daily. However, the 78-year-old is now in solitary confinement, with reports that his health is deteriorating due to mistreatment.
Earlier this week, Jimmy’s children, Claire and Sebastien, met with media outlets to raise the alarm about their father’s health while he’s in jail. The media mogul has been in prison continuously since December 2020 as he awaits a verdict on sedition charges. He’s currently imprisoned in solitary confinement at Stanley Prison in Hong Kong.
Jimmy’s daughter, Claire, expressed concern about his health, claiming he’s kept in a cell without air conditioning when summer temperatures can reach 44 degrees Celsius. She added, “He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before. His nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten.”
The businessman is also diabetic, so his family said he’s at risk of dying from complications. Claire also said guards often made petty gestures to demoralise him. Examples she gave include refusing to let her father, a devout Catholic, receive communion and not letting him eat curry sauce at all after learning he enjoys it.
However, the Hong Kong government denies the claims, saying that Jimmy has all along been receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison. In a statement released after Claire and Sebastien’s interview, the spokesperson clarified that the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate, and healthy for persons-in-custody.
The government also condemned certain media, claiming they seek to smear Hong Kong by misleading the public into believing that Jimmy is mistreated in jail. Meanwhile, Jimmy’s family continue to rally support for his release.
Sources: The Guardian, China Daily Asia
