"The children of Hong Kong's jailed pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai have voiced new alarm for his health, describing his dramatic weight loss, teeth rotting and nails turning green before falling off. Lai, who turns 78 next Monday, has been behind bars in Hong Kong since late 2020 as China clamps down on the financial hub to which it promised a separate system when Britain handed it over in 1997."
"Lai, a diabetic, has been kept in solitary confinement without air conditioning in a jail where summer temperatures rise to 44C (111F), his children said. He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before, said his daughter Claire Lai, who left Hong Kong after seeing her father several months ago. His nails turn almost purple, gray and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten, she said on a visit to Washington, where the family is seeking to rally support for her father."
"She said that guards refused to let her father, a devout Catholic, receive communion and that they made small gestures to try to demoralise him. After learning he enjoyed curry sauce, instead of having extra curry sauce, he has no curry sauce at all, she said. It's little things like that that are extremely petty, she said. A successful businessman, Lai founded the Apple Daily, an outspoken pro-democracy tabloid."
Jimmy Lai, 78, has been detained in Hong Kong since late 2020 and faces at least 15 years in prison on charges of foreign collusion related to the 2019 protests. He is diabetic and has been held in solitary confinement without air conditioning in a facility where summer temperatures reach 44C (111F). His children report dramatic weight loss, marked weakness, rotting teeth, and nails that turn purple-gray-green before falling off. Family members say guards denied him communion and used petty measures like withholding favored curry sauce. The family is seeking international diplomatic support.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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