The daughter of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy tycoon jailed in Hong Kong, has expressed concerns about her father's deteriorating health in prison, saying that his fingernails sometimes fall off and his teeth are rotting.
Lai, 78, has been detained since December 2020 and faces life in prison. Earlier this month he was convicted of colluding with foreign forces under the city's controversial national security law (NSL).
Chinese authorities have denied that Lai has been mistreated in prison, and said he is in good health.
The BBC has seen a letter written by Lai's family urging UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to call for Lai's release when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.
His daughter Claire Lai, who's in exile in London, told the BBC that she fears she may never see him again.
Of course I worry that my father is going to be a martyr, and I don't want him to be a martyr. But I would not be here today, I would not be speaking out if I didn't think this was his best chance of reuniting with our family, she expressed.
Describing her father as an extremely robust and strong man when he went to prison, she noted that he has lost a significant amount of weight over the last year.
He is diabetic, he has heart issues which he never had in the past. He has fingernails that turn purplish grey and sometimes fall off. He has teeth that are rotting.
He has back and waist pains. Some days it's painful for him to stand. Sometimes he can't stand. And some days he can't even get out of bed, she detailed.
Lai's family has flagged concerns about his health multiple times. Earlier this year, his son Sebastien indicated that his father is body is breaking down.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Commissioner's Office stated that Lai's lawful rights and interests have been fully protected, and he is in good health.
They added that a safe, humane, appropriate, and healthy custodial environment in accordance with the law has been provided for Lai.
Lai, a UK citizen, is the most prominent person to be charged under the NSL, introduced in 2020 in response to massive pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Beijing defends the law as necessary for stability but critics contend it has effectively outlawed dissent.
Following Lai's conviction, the UK condemned it as politically motivated persecution, asserting he has been targeted for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. The UK government has repeatedly called for the National Security Law to be repealed.
Starmer's trip to China in late January 2026 will be the first by a UK Prime Minister since 2018.
