The closing submissions in Hong Kong pro-democracy financier Jimmy Lai’s national security trial were delayed on Friday after his lawyer said Lai had suffered heart palpitations. The court adjourned the proceedings to Monday to allow Lai, now 77, to obtain medication and a heart monitor, with the aim of resuming the submissions then.
Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper which was shuttered after a police raid and asset freeze in June 2021, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a count of conspiracy to publish seditious material.
Lai’s lawyer, Robert Pang, told the court that Lai has experienced episodes where he felt like he could collapse, noting he had accepted recommendations from a visiting medical specialist but arrangements were still being made. One of the judges, Esther Toh, remarked that Lai had not yet received the medication or the monitor recommended by the specialist, expressing concern.
A British citizen, Lai has spent more than 1,700 days in solitary confinement, a point his son has previously raised in discussions about his health. Prosecutor Anthony Chau said a medical team was on standby in the court, and that Lai would be provided with the prescribed medication and heart monitor before the hearing resumed on Monday.
The case has attracted attention from Western governments, including the United States, which have called for Lai’s immediate release, arguing the trial is politically motivated amid Hong Kong’s years-long national security crackdown. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, in turn, have said Lai is receiving a fair trial and condemned foreign meddling.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a media interview on Thursday that he would “do everything I can to save him.” Diplomats from at least seven countries attended the hearing, and the closing submissions are expected to extend over eight days.
The three-judge panel is then expected to deliberate for several months before delivering a verdict—more than five years after Lai was first arrested in August 2020. Lai arrived at the court on Friday wearing a white windproof jacket, smiling and waving to family and supporters who had queued for hours for tickets to the packed courtroom. Lai’s national security trial began in December 2023, and in the witness box he said he was defending free speech and rejected allegations that he lobbied the United States to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.
Summary: Lai’s health concerns caused a temporary halt to the trial’s closing submissions, highlighting the ongoing tension between health, due process, and international scrutiny in a high-profile national security case. The broader backdrop includes global attention on Hong Kong’s legal processes and the evolving diplomacy surrounding U.S.-China relations.
Optional note: If readers want deeper context, a concise explainer on how health-related court delays are weighed in high-profile cases and a timeline of key dates in Lai’s trial could help. A cautious, hopeful takeaway is that continued attention and dialogue around rule of law and due process may bolster transparency and stability in Hong Kong’s legal system.
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