On 4 December 2025, Jimmy Lai will have been in arbitrary detention for 1800 days – almost five years –  and in prison continuously since December 2020. The former laureate of the RSF Press Freedom Award, who will turn 78 next week, is subjected to harsh conditions of solitary confinement, restricted to just 50 minutes of “exercise” per day in a metal box, with barely any access to natural light. 

In an interview this week, his daughter, Claire Lai,  told the news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) her father’s nails had turned “almost purple, grey and greenish before they fell off and his teeth are getting rotten.” He is also at risk of dying from complications from diabetes and extreme weight loss. RSF and a coalition of 72 NGOs raised similar concerns two months ago in a letter to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calling on him to secure Lai’s immediate release, as the continued denial of specialist medical care puts him at immediate risk of potentially fatal complications.

“Given his age and chronic illnesses, each passing day increases the risk that Jimmy Lai may die in prison. His case demands urgent action from democratic world leaders, as any further delay puts his life in danger. We call on these leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump, to move from words to action and demand that the Chinese regime release him immediately on medical grounds, so he can be reunited with his family and receive the care he desperately needs.

Media attacked for reporting on facts

Following Claire Lai’s interview with AFP, the French international news agency was attacked by the Hong Kong authorities, who accused AFP of “smearing” Hong Kong and “misleading the public” in a statement. The same statement said Lai had been receiving appropriate care, and claimed it was “inappropriate for any person to comment on the case”. In the past, similar statements have targeted other media outlets and NGOs, including RSF, labelling them “anti-Chinese.”

Delays in trial and verdict

Originally scheduled to last 80 days, Lai’s trial has dragged on for over 140 days since it began in December 2023. Despite the conclusion of closing arguments on 29 August 2025, the three-judge panel has not announced a date for the verdict, a delay which would seem to underscore the authorities’ determination to prolong Lai’s ordeal. Throughout his detention and the proceedings, he has systematically been denied a fair trial: he was barred from choosing his own legal counsel, deprived of a jury, and faced with testimony from a so-called “witness” who had reportedly been tortured. 

For more than three decades, Jimmy Lai has worked to uphold the values of press freedom, making him a recurring target for the authorities. In 1995, he launched Apple Daily, one of the last major news outlets openly critical of the Chinese regime. Following a raid, the newspaper was forcibly shut down in 2021, and seven of its journalists, including Lai, were arrested and prosecuted.

Since 2020, the Hong Kong government has prosecuted at least 28 journalists, 8 of whom are currently detained. Hong Kong is ranked 140th in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, having plummeted down the rankings from 18th place in just two decades. China itself ranks 178th of the 180 countries and territories surveyed.