The plight of Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old media tycoon and outspoken pro-democracy activist jailed in Hong Kong, has once again drawn international scrutiny as his family raises urgent alarms about his rapidly declining health and alleged mistreatment in solitary confinement. Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, will mark his 78th birthday on Monday, December 8, 2025, behind bars—where he has languished since late 2020, awaiting a verdict on grave charges under Hong Kong’s controversial national security law.
Lai’s children, Claire and Sebastien, have spoken out in recent days, painting a harrowing picture of their father’s condition. According to AFP, Claire Lai described how her father, who has diabetes, has visibly wasted away, his teeth rotting and nails falling out. “He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before,” she said. She recounted that his nails turned “almost purple, grey and greenish before they fell off,” and that his “teeth are getting rotten.”
For nearly four years, Lai has been held in a solitary confinement cell, where summer temperatures reportedly soar to 44 degrees Celsius (that’s a staggering 111 degrees Fahrenheit). According to AFP and the BBC, these conditions are compounded by the absence of air conditioning, making his imprisonment not just isolating but physically punishing—especially for someone nearing 80 with pre-existing health conditions.
Lai’s ongoing trial, in which he stands accused of sedition and collusion with foreign powers, has been repeatedly delayed due to concerns over his health. In August 2025, the delivery of closing arguments was postponed as authorities issued Lai a heart monitor to wear during proceedings, recognizing the severity of his medical situation. If convicted, the charges could see him spend the rest of his life in prison.
But for Lai’s family, the legal jeopardy is only part of the ordeal. They allege a pattern of petty and demoralizing treatment by prison authorities. Claire Lai told AFP that her father, a devout Catholic, was denied the Christian church ceremony of communion. Even small comforts have been withheld: after guards learned he enjoyed curry sauce, they ensured he received none. “It’s little things like that that are extremely petty,” she remarked, highlighting the daily indignities that, in their view, are designed to break his spirit.
His son, Sebastien Lai, has repeatedly sounded the alarm over his father’s health, warning that he has lost further weight as a result of being denied independent medical care for his diabetes. Speaking to AFP, Sebastien expressed both anguish and grim determination: “It’s horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs.” He has called on the international community to ramp up pressure on China to secure his father’s release, arguing that the case is a litmus test for press freedom and judicial independence in Hong Kong.
The case of Jimmy Lai has become emblematic of the sweeping changes that have overtaken Hong Kong since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city in 2020. Once a bustling hub of freewheeling journalism and robust public debate, Hong Kong has seen its media landscape transformed as independent outlets shutter and dissent is stifled. Lai’s Apple Daily was among the most prominent casualties, forced to close after authorities froze its assets and arrested top executives, including Lai himself.
Lai’s incarceration has not gone unnoticed by world leaders. According to Fox News and Fox Business, U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Lai’s release during a meeting in South Korea in October 2025. This diplomatic intervention came after Sebastien Lai urged both Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to keep his father’s case on the international agenda. “It will take two hours to put my father on a plane and send him away,” Sebastien Lai told AFP. “It’ll be the humane thing to do; it’ll be the right thing to do. They’ve already put him through this hell.”
The family’s appeals have taken on a new urgency as Lai’s health falters. His children have described his case as a “life-or-death emergency,” underscoring the stakes not just for their father but for the wider pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. The specter of Lai dying behind bars, they warn, could transform him into a martyr—galvanizing supporters and sharpening international criticism of China’s crackdown on dissent in the city.
Lai’s story is inextricably linked to the broader political upheaval that has gripped Hong Kong since the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Those mass demonstrations, sparked by fears over Beijing’s growing influence, ultimately led to the imposition of the national security law—a move widely condemned by Western governments and human rights groups. The law’s sweeping provisions have been used to silence critics and dismantle the city’s once-vibrant civil society, with Lai’s prosecution viewed by many as a test case for how far authorities are willing to go to stamp out opposition.
For all the international attention, the daily reality for Jimmy Lai remains bleak. Kept in isolation, denied meaningful medical care, and subjected to what his family calls petty acts of cruelty, Lai’s resilience is being tested as never before. Yet, as his son notes, the authorities’ determination to keep him behind bars may ultimately backfire. “If my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs,” Sebastien Lai observed, reflecting a view shared by many in the pro-democracy movement.
As Lai’s 78th birthday approaches, his family—and his supporters around the world—are left waiting for a resolution that may never come. The verdict in his trial, and the broader fate of press freedom in Hong Kong, hang in the balance. In the meantime, the story of Jimmy Lai continues to serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of political repression—and the enduring power of one individual’s fight for his principles, even in the face of overwhelming odds.