Media tycoon Jimmy Lai turned 78 on Monday in a Hong Kong prison, amid growing concerns that the diabetic Briton's health was deteriorating.
British MPs have renewed calls for the release of the Catholic businessman, who has been languishing in prison for five years.
Mr Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily. is awaiting a ruling on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under the city’s draconian national security law.
He has pleaded not guilty and denied ever seeking Hong Kong’s independence from China. He faces the prospect of life in prison if convicted.
Last week, Mr Lai’s children sounded the alarm over his failing health, claiming he had lost a significant amount of weight and that his teeth were rotting and nails were falling out.
“Today is Jimmy Lai’s 78th birthday. Instead of celebrating with his family, he is behind bars in Hong Kong, just as he has been for the last five years,” said a statement released on Monday by an international campaign group working to secure his release.
The statement claimed Mr Lai had heart problems and back pain and that he was losing his hearing and eyesight.
“Jimmy Lai must be freed before his suffering becomes a death sentence,” it demanded.
Claire Lai told The Washington Post her jailed father had contracted infections that lasted weeks and months and suffered “agonising pain” due to swollen limbs.
Jimmy Lai should be celebrating his birthday today with his family. Instead, his children can only hold photos of him close to their hearts.
— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) December 8, 2025
A man of immense bravery, arbitrarily detained for over 1,800 days - largely in solitary confinement. His crime? Refusing to allow the… pic.twitter.com/Q5vtxJ4xjU
Mr Lai’s children urged the international community to mount pressure on China to release their father, whose trial represents a test for press freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.
The city’s local government, led by chief executive John Lee, has denied the accusations.
The tycoon “has all along been receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison,” it said. “The false reports by relevant media have no factual basis at all.”
Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Stamford, said that Mr Lai had been languishing in prison for over 1,800 days, mostly in solitary confinement, for “refusing to allow free voices” in the city to be crushed by the Chinese Communist Party.
“Jimmy Lai should be celebrating his birthday today with his family,” she said. “Instead, his children can only hold photos of him close to their hearts.”
“Silence today from the government as they get deeper in bed with the CCP,” the Tory MP added. “He is a British National. Bring him home.”
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, said Mr Lai was in prison “on trumped up charges under the new oppressive Chinese National Security Law in Hong Kong”.
“He is unable to receive full consular rights or any religious support,” he said. “Our thoughts are with him and his family as the Chinese government tries to punish him for believing in freedom of speech.
“I know his family are deeply worried about his deteriorating health.”
Mr Lai, described by his family as a devout Catholic, has allegedly been denied communion while in prison.
Mr Lai’s family, activists and MPs have repeatedly urged prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to press Beijing for the jailed Briton's release.
An opportunity will arise in the next year when Sir Keir meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his visit to China.
Today marks Jimmy Lai’s 78th birthday.
— Iain Duncan Smith MP Chingford & Woodford Green (@MPIainDS) December 8, 2025
Jimmy Lai is a British citizen and a strong catholic, who is in prison in solitary confinement on trumped up charges under the new oppressive Chinese National Security Law in Hong Kong. He is unable to receive full consular rights or any… https://t.co/A9yIiUBuJB
In the US, lawmakers have issued a bipartisan call for the tycoon’s release. Last week, members of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party introduced a resolution to mark 8 December as Jimmy Lai Day.
In October, president Donald Trump reportedly raised Mr Lai’s case with Mr Xi during their meeting in South Korea.
Mr Trump will meet the Chinese leader again in April and have another chance to negotiate Mr Lai’s release.
“Mr Trump can argue that Mr Lai’s imprisonment is a public-relations disaster for China and that he is doing China a favour by helping to resolve the issue,” The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial. “If Mr Lai dies in jail, it will be a permanent stain on China.”
Congressman Tom Suozzi shared a picture with Mr Lai’s children on X and said: “China must immediately release Lai and all other Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates from prison.”
Fellow Congressman Jamie Raskin joined the call for Mr Lai’s release, saying the “brave free speech and democracy advocate” should be home celebrating his birthday with his family instead of being confined to prison. “The world demands Jimmy Lai be released and his sham charges dropped,” he said.
Today is Jimmy Lai's 78th birthday, his sixth consecutive birthday in prison for telling the truth. Lai and his pro-democracy newspaper criticized the CCP and advocated for a free press, religious freedom, and democracy in Hong Kong.
— Tom Suozzi (@RepTomSuozzi) December 8, 2025
He is blessed by his children, Claire and… pic.twitter.com/im1Bv4bCrm
Mr Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, told AFP that he hoped both Mr Trump and Sir Keir would keep raising his father's release with China.
Sebastien Lai previously said he believed it was in China’s interests to free his father, warning that he would become a martyr for the pro-democracy movement if he died behind bars.
“It’s horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs,” he said.
Antoine Bernard, advocacy and assistance director at Reporters Without Borders, warned that given Mr Lai’s chronic illnesses, each day increased his risk of dying in jail.
“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,” he said.
