The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday strongly condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation for its unfounded report on media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s health condition intended to “mislead the public by intentionally portraying Lai as a victim.”
Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct tabloid Apple Daily, was convicted of all three national security-related charges he faced on Dec 15, following a 156-day trial that concluded in August 2025.
The BBC on Wednesday published a news report featuring an interview with Lai’s daughter Claire Lai, who expressed concerns over her father's well-being while in custody, saying that his fingernails “sometimes fall off and his teeth are rotting.”
In a statement issued late on Thursday, a government spokesperson said Jimmy Lai’s health condition has been “properly cared for”, as the government has repeatedly pointed out that the Correctional Services Department (CSD) attaches great importance to the safety and health of persons-in-custody, including Lai, who has received “adequate and comprehensive” medical services.
“The claims regarding Lai's health condition as reported by the BBC are false and extremely misleading,” the spokesperson said, adding that the CSD provided dental treatment for Lai in 2021 and 2022 based on his needs. “Since then, Lai has had no dental health problems nor made any further requests for dental treatment,” the spokesperson said.
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Lai notified the CSD of problems with his nails last year, and he fully recovered after treatment with ointment prescribed by the Medical Officer of the institution, with no nail loss as alleged in the media reports, the spokesperson said.
The statement added that in August 2025, before the public hearing, the CSD arranged for Lai to wear a cardiac monitoring device and prescribed heart medication for his claimed heart palpitations to be used as needed. “Since then and up till the present moment, Lai has made no further complaints about his heart palpitations to the CSD,” it said.
“It must be stressed that the allegations made by Lai 's daughter and relevant media reports, including those by the BBC, are completely baseless," the spokesperson said, “certain individuals with ulterior motives, including Lai's family members and certain media, have ignored these facts and continue to spread lies and engage in despicable acts.”
“Their malicious intentions are obvious. The HKSAR government strongly opposes and condemns such acts,” the spokesperson said.
The court’s 855-page reasons for the verdict in Lai's case include the court’s analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the reasons for convicting Lai and the three defendant companies in full detail, according to the statement.
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“The court's conviction verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that the court has made its decision on the case strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference, and absolutely free of any political considerations.”
The spokesperson added that the court also clearly pointed out that Lai’s only intent was to “seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China”, and even to sacrifice the interests of China and the HKSAR’s people, and he was the mastermind of the conspiracies charged in all three counts, and his actions constituted a threat to national security.
“Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers be held accountable,” the spokesperson stressed.
