​The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (August 15) strongly condemns the out-of-context and fact-twisting reports on the court hearing of the case of Lai Chee-ying made by some foreign media including the US-based Cable News Network (CNN). Such reports attempt to mislead the public into believing that Lai Chee-ying did not receive the medical care he needed, in order to smear Lai Chee-ying's case under the Hong Kong National Security Law, as well as his custodial arrangements and the medical care services provided to him. Their aim to smear and undermine Hong Kong's rule of law is despicable and violates the professional conduct of journalists.

     A spokesman for the HKSAR Government stressed, "During today's open court hearing, senior counsel representing Lai Chee-ying clearly presented to the court that the correctional institutions arrange daily medical checkups for Lai Chee-ying and that there had been no complaints at all regarding the medical care he receives there. The Court commended the Correctional Services Department (CSD) while the Department of Justice stated that the prosecution is equally concerned about Lai Chee-ying's health and well-being. Therefore, the CSD has arranged for a professional medical team to be on standby on the spot, ready to respond to any emergency immediately if needed. External forces and anti-China media chose to turn a blind eye to these facts, and continued to repeat lies and engage in despicable operations. We must sternly denounce their wrongdoings.

     "Before attending court, Lai Chee-ying has been certified by medical doctors that he was physically and mentally fit for court hearing. In fact, doctors stationed at correctional institutions and specialists from the Hospital Authority regularly follow-up on Lai Chee-ying's health conditions. As revealed during the hearing today, in view of Lai Chee-ying's claims of heart palpitations, after a visiting specialist from the Hospital Authority conducted a detailed examination on him on August 7, no abnormality was found. That said, as precaution, the specialist recommended prescribing medication to Lai Chee-ying to be taken as and when needed, and that he should wear a cardiac monitoring device, but Lai Chee-ying declined the advice of the specialist. On August 13, the CSD arranged for another detailed examination by a specialist from the Hospital Authority. The specialist again recommended that Lai Chee-ying wear a device to monitor his cardiac condition, which Lai Chee-ying accepted in the end. The Hospital Authority and the CSD immediately made such arrangements within a short period of time."

     The spokesman reiterated, "The CSD is committed to ensuring that the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate and healthy, and that an environment with good ventilation, appropriate and timely medical support as well as healthy and nutritious meals are provided. The CSD has also put in place an established mechanism, including regular independent visitors, namely Justices of the Peace, who inspect the prisons to ensure the rights of persons in custody (PICs) are protected."

     "Facts speak louder than eloquence. The medical care received by Lai Chee-ying in custody is adequate and comprehensive. The CSD supports PICs with medical services provided by the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority. In general, examination and treatment are conducted by medical staff stationed in CSD facilities. Based on the needs of individual PICs, cases will be referred to specialist departments under the Hospital Authority for further follow-up. Hong Kong's medical standards are highly regarded worldwide. Professional medical staff provide the most suitable medical services to patients as soon as possible, and PICs are treated equally. The CSD and relevant units also adopt the above arrangements when handling matters related to Lai Chee-ying, which are no different from those applicable to other PICs," the spokesman pointed out.

Ends/Friday, August 15, 2025
Issued at HKT 23:32

NNNN