Hong Kong court postpones Lai trial over health concerns

Hong Kong court postpones Lai trial over health concerns

A Hong Kong court on Friday suspended a hearing in media tycoon Jimmy Lai's national security trial due to health concerns. The defense reported that Lai had heart palpitations and appeared visibly emaciated in court as closing arguments began in his landmark case.

Jimmy Lai's health problems

The hearing, which was postponed earlier on Thursday due to a severe thunderstorm, only lasted about 15 minutes after the court received information about the 77-year-old's health conditions from his defense team. Lai's defense lawyer, Robert Pang SC, informed the judges that Lai had "episodes where he felt like he was collapsing" and suffered from heart palpitations.

Medical care in prison

Although Lai has been medically examined, prison staff are still waiting to provide him with medication and a Holter monitor, a device that records his heart activity, Pang said. Prosecutors said a team of medical professionals was on standby in court Friday to attend to Lai's medical needs. However, Judge Alex Lee said it would be "prudent" to wait until Lai's medical needs were met and adjourned the hearing until Monday.

Family members express concern

Jimmy Lai's son, Sebastien Lai, expressed grave concern before the hearing about his father's deteriorating health. “He turns 78 this year and any kind of incarceration is incredibly worrying for his health, not to mention solitary confinement and diabetes,” he said, calling his father’s extended solitary confinement “a form of torture.” He also noted that Hong Kong temperatures reach almost 40 degrees in the summer while his father "stews" in a small concrete cell.

Hong Kong government statement

The Hong Kong government has strongly condemned what it called “misleading” statements about Jimmy Lai’s treatment in custody. It said in a statement: "Sebastien Lai's comments regarding Lai Chee-ying's solitary confinement are completely distorted and reflect the malicious intent to smear and attack the HKSAR government." It was also noted that Lai himself had requested his removal from the general prison population.

Ongoing process

Closing arguments are expected to take several days, and it could be weeks or even months before the justices issue their verdict. Lai is accused of two counts of colluding with foreign forces - a crime punishable by life imprisonment under the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 - and he also faces a separate charge. Lai has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Jimmy Lai as a symbol of resistance

The outspoken founder of Apple Daily, a passionately pro-democracy tabloid newspaper that has waged a combative line of attack against the Chinese Communist Party for years, has become a symbol of Beijing's sweeping national security assault on the formerly free financial center. US President Donald Trump had previously vowed to work for his release and confirmed in an interview with Fox News that Lai's fate was part of ongoing negotiations with Beijing.

"I'm going to address it, I've already addressed it, and I'm going to do everything I can to save him," Trump said. However, it should be noted that President Xi Jinping would not be happy to comply with such demands. “Nevertheless, his name is already being included in the discussions and we will see what we can do,” he added.