Family of Hong Kong Tycoon Warns of Severe Health Decline in Jail

HONG KONG — The family of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media mogul jailed since 2020, has expressed grave concerns about his deteriorating health. They report alarming weight loss, rotting teeth, and discolored nails that have begun to fall off.

Lai, who will turn 78 next week, has been incarcerated in solitary confinement at a facility where summer temperatures can reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit), according to his children. His daughter, Claire Lai, said, “He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before.”

During a recent visit to Washington, Claire revealed further distressing details about her father’s condition. “His nails turn almost purple, gray and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten,” she said, highlighting the harsh realities her father faces in prison. Lai is a known diabetic and has been denied access to air conditioning.

Claire also criticized the prison’s treatment. “They refuse to let him receive communion,” she stated, adding that authority figures take small actions to demoralize him. She noted that after learning he enjoyed curry sauce, the guards stopped providing it altogether.

Jimmy Lai founded the Apple Daily, a prominent tabloid known for its pro-democracy stance. He faces serious charges of foreign collusion due to his involvement in mass protests against China‘s influence in 2019, potentially leading to a lengthy sentence. His son, Sebastien Lai, remains hopeful that leaders such as the U.S. president and U.K. prime minister will address his father’s situation with China.

“It will take two hours to put my father on a plane and send him away,” Sebastien said. “It’ll be the humane thing to do; it’ll be the right thing to do. They’ve already put him through this hell.”