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Hong Kong authorities have hit out at news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) over an article about pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, currently detained as he awaits the verdict of his national security trial.
According to a statement released late Wednesday evening, the government "strongly condemns certain media, including Agence France-Presse, for their fact-twisting reports concerning the case under the Hong Kong National Security Law involving Lai..., as well as the treatment and medical services provided by the HKSAR Government during his detention."
The reports "seek to smear the [Hong Kong government] by misleading the public into believing that the custodial and medical arrangements" for Lai have been "poor," the statement said.
"Their despicable intent to vilify Hong Kong's rule of law is blatant and violates the professional conduct of journalists."
AFP published an article on Tuesday in which Lai's children expressed concern for his health in an interview with the French news agency in Washington, DC.
Their father, who founded the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, is serving an almost six-year jail term for fraud over violating lease agreements relating to the paper's headquarters. He was sentenced in 2021.
Lai is also awaiting the verdict of his national security trial, in which he pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law, and a third count of conspiring to publish seditious materials under colonial-era legislation.
His children spoke of the mogul, who will turn 78 next week, allegedly being kept in solitary confinement without air conditioning when indoor temperatures rose to 44 degrees Celsius in the summer.
Their father has lost significant weight and is "a lot weaker," his daughter Claire Lai said.
The Hong Kong government slammed the reports as false and said that the Correctional Services Department attaches "great importance to the safety and health" of those in custody.
The statement also referred to Lai's lawyer saying during a court hearing in August that Lai had been given daily medical check-ups and that there had been no complaints about the medical services.
This is not the first time the government has condemned international media outlets for publishing articles relating to Lai's health in detention.
In July, authorities lambasted the Wall Street Journal over an op-ed that said Lai suffered from "appalling conditions" in custody. In August, they issued a similar statement in response to a CNN article, which quoted the mogul's son, Sebastien Lai, saying that his father was being dealt "a form of torture."
No date for Lai's trial verdict has been set yet, with a judge saying in August that it would be delivered "in good time."
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts - broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.