Recent reports from certain Western and opposition media have exaggerated allegations regarding Jimmy Lai’s solitary confinement and purported human rights violations, including the denial of his right to receive Holy Communion. Lai's "team of overseas lawyers" even submitted an urgent complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, attempting to depict the situation as a "prisoner abuse scandal" in Hong Kong.
In light of this speculation, Ariel sought clarification on the veracity of these claims. Recent information indicates that Lai himself requested solitary confinement and chose not to receive Holy Communion.
To confirm this information, Ariel inquired with the Correctional Services Department (CSD) regarding the rumors—specifically, whether Lai had indeed requested solitary confinement and had communicated a decision not to partake in religious sacraments. The CSD was asked to verify these details.
In its response, the CSD stated that it manages prisoner detention in accordance with the Prisons Ordinance, relevant laws, and established procedures. If a detainee voluntarily requests solitary confinement for protective reasons and the prison administration has reasonable grounds to believe such arrangements are necessary to maintain order, discipline, or the detainee's interests, the management will make the appropriate provisions.
The CSD further clarified that prisoners may request religious services, including worship and Holy Communion, facilitated by the Department’s priests. However, if a prisoner chooses not to receive Holy Communion, the CSD will respect their decision.
The CSD confirmed that it handled Lai's case according to these guidelines, specifically acknowledging that the arrangement for solitary confinement was made in response to Lai's voluntary request and that his decision not to receive Holy Communion was duly respected.
Following the CSD’s response, Ariel noted that Robert Chen & Co., the law firm representing Lai in the national security case, issued a statement on the 27th. The firm clarified that Lai was receiving appropriate treatment in prison and was aware that he could receive Holy Communion through special arrangements by the CSD. However, since this would require a priest to conduct Mass exclusively for him, no request had been made due to logistical difficulties.
A senior political figure remarked to Ariel that this entire episode illustrates how opposition media and Lai's supporters can fabricate misleading narratives. They unfoundedly claimed that Lai was held in solitary confinement, deprived of his human rights, and denied Holy Communion.
Ariel
Ariel
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Here's the opening act for 2026: Jimmy Lai faces sentencing, and right on cue, his daughter delivers a tearful BBC performance claiming her father is dying. She rattles off a dramatic list of supposedly terminal symptoms, blowing minor ailments wildly out of proportion. The most ridiculous fabrication to kick off the new year.
Throughout last year's trial, she and her brother Sebastien Lai fed the same tale to American and British outlets, banking on the old adage that repeat a lie enough times and it becomes truth. But their shabby playbook won't work this time. Authorities have rolled out hard evidence again and again, systematically demolishing their clumsy deception. Here's the irony: people who know Lai well say his health risks ran sky-high before prison—he could have collapsed any moment. Behind bars? Those risks plummeted.
Jimmy Lai's daughter claims to BBC he's "near death" with critical symptoms – all wildly exaggerated. This year's most ridiculous lie yet.
Jimmy Lai's conviction is final. Sentencing looms. The US and UK governments issue statements but take no action. His chances of walking free hover near zero. Yet his children refuse to quit. Their last card? Fabricate stories about their father's severe illness, hoping to manipulate foreign media into sympathy and manufacture public pressure. On New Year's Day, his daughter Claire Lai sat down with the BBC, tears flowing, painting a picture of extreme deterioration. Her "near-death" symptom checklist: grey-green fingernails falling off, rotting teeth, sudden heart problems he never had, weight loss, and lower back pain so severe he can barely stand. She catalogued every conceivable ailment to prove he's gravely ill and approaching the end.
They've recycled this performance repeatedly for foreign outlets—The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, The Independent, and Nikkei Asian Review, etc. Jimmy Lai's international legal team amplifies the chorus, releasing a solemn "research report" on Lai's grave condition and going so far as to rush it to the United Nations. The theatrics are complete.
Evidence Crushes Fiction
The "health problems" Jimmy Lai's children trumpet are either grotesquely exaggerated or outright invented—utterly absurd. The Hong Kong government has systematically refuted each claim with concrete evidence. And Lai's recent court appearance to hear the verdict, where he displayed no abnormalities whatsoever, demolished their narrative all by itself.
Start with the grey-green, falling fingernails. Yesterday, while condemning the BBC report, the Hong Kong government revealed that Jimmy Lai had mentioned some nail issues to the Correctional Services Department last year. The institution's doctor prescribed ointment. He recovered. Since this minor problem got treated, his fingernails looked rosy and perfectly normal when he appeared in court recently.
I looked up what causes grey-green nails that fall off. Turns out it's just an infection from a type of bacillus. Some housewives and beauticians get this condition. You treat it with ointment and it clears up. Claire Lai presenting this as a symptom of grave illness? It terrifies people who don't know better and makes those who do burst out laughing.
Falling nails, rotted teeth? Just minor ailments already treated. Yet his children cry "near death" – laughably absurd.
As for rotting teeth, it's more surprising if someone doesn't have bad teeth at 78. The government stated that Jimmy Lai requested dental care in 2021 and 2022. The dentist treated him. No problems since. He hasn't raised any further requests. Claire Lai has inflated her father's dental issues by a factor of N, lying without batting an eye.
Medical Tests Expose the Truth
During the trial in August last year, Jimmy Lai told the Correctional Services Department he experienced rapid heartbeat and palpitations. These are normal reactions to anxiety and tension. But the department didn't take chances. The Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre medical team conducted blood tests and electrocardiograms. They found nothing wrong. As a precaution, the team recommended he wear a Holter monitor. He initially refused but later agreed. Since then? No abnormalities detected. His heart is healthy.
Regarding Claire Lai's claim that her father has "lower back pain, sometimes even when standing, with difficulty getting up and walking," authorities don't even need medical evidence to refute this. Simply watch him move normally in court—no cane, no assistance required. That proves Claire Lai's claims are false. Even if he does have some backache, it's utterly common at his age.
Now consider the weight loss. Jimmy Lai's nickname is "Fat Lai." He's been overweight for years. Losing weight after imprisonment isn't just normal—it's a sign of improvement. The Correctional Services Department takes his physical condition seriously, conducting regular examinations. They certainly wouldn't let him balloon up or waste away.
Prison Actually Saved His Health
A friend who knows Jimmy Lai well told me his lifestyle before imprisonment was extremely "indulgent." He chronically overate and drank, ignoring his diabetes and obesity, still gorging on braised pork belly. His health risks ran sky-high. If that continued, his body would certainly face serious problems. In contrast, after imprisonment, his risks have dropped dramatically thanks to normal diet and regular routine.
Claire Lai keeps "making empty boasts." Western media and politicians continue treating fiction as fact, even though they know she's deceiving them. But even so, this cannot change the final outcome fast approaching for Jimmy Lai.
Lai Ting-yiu
