Hong Kong prison authorities have rejected a report claiming that guards at Stanley Prison rehearsed procedures for the possible death of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, accusing overseas critics of spreading what they described as fabricated claims about his health and detention conditions.
The Correctional Services Department (CSD) said it would not disclose information about prison security, individual detainees or specific operational arrangements. The department made the comments after the US based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK Foundation) published a report alleging that prison staff had conducted a formal rehearsal for Lai’s death.
The allegation has not been independently verified. The CSD has repeatedly said that Lai receives appropriate medical care while in custody and that correctional facilities provide access to doctors and specialist treatment.
Lai, 78, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2026 after being convicted of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious material. He founded Apple Daily, the now defunct pro democracy newspaper that was forced to close after authorities arrested senior staff and froze company assets under Hong Kong’s national security framework.
The latest dispute centres on Lai’s health and the conditions under which he is being held.
CSD rejects claims about Lai’s custody
In a statement responding to the report, the Correctional Services Department said it had noticed overseas figures it described as “anti China” and “Hong Kong destabilising” were continuing to make claims about Lai’s health and custodial arrangements.
The department accused those figures of “fabricating lies” and attempting to damage the reputation of the correctional authorities.
“The CSD does not disclose information relating to prison security and order, privacy, and safety, nor details regarding specific arrangements for individual” detainees, the department said.
The wording means the department did not directly confirm or deny whether staff had rehearsed procedures concerning Lai’s possible death.
Instead, officials stressed that information involving prison security and individual arrangements would not be made public.
The response came after the CFHK Foundation published its report, titled Still Suffering: Systemic Abuse Continues in Hong Kong Prisons, on September 15. The report examined the treatment of prisoners whom the organisation describes as political detainees and raised concerns about overcrowding, isolation and access to medical care.
The foundation said a source with direct knowledge of prison operations told it that guards at Stanley Prison had formally rehearsed procedures that would apply if Lai died while in custody.
The organisation did not identify the source.
Report raises questions over Lai’s health
The report also described Lai as being held in near total isolation. According to the foundation, he spends roughly 23 hours a day without meaningful human contact and is kept in a windowless cell.
The organisation said Lai recently wrote to his family describing difficulties standing without assistance from prison guards.
The claims form part of a wider campaign by Lai’s family and international supporters, who have repeatedly raised concerns about his physical condition and access to independent medical examinations.
Hong Kong authorities have rejected those concerns.
The CSD said correctional institutions have medical officers seconded from the Department of Health and that people in custody can receive specialist consultations and treatment when required.
“It is unquestionable that the medical services received by Lai Chee Ying in custody are as adequate and comprehensive as those for other” detainees, the department said.
The department has previously maintained that there is no evidence that Lai is being denied necessary medical treatment.
Lai’s medical condition was raised in court
Lai’s health was also discussed during court proceedings before his sentence was imposed.
During a mitigation hearing in January, his lawyers referred to several medical conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, while asking the court to consider his age and health when determining his sentence.
The issue of his treatment in prison has since remained a source of dispute between his family, supporters and Hong Kong authorities.
The CFHK Foundation has argued that independent medical access is needed because Lai’s family has received fewer medical updates and has been unable to arrange independent examinations.
The foundation's September report said Lai had spent more than five years in custody and described his imprisonment as involving prolonged isolation. It also raised broader concerns about the use of solitary confinement and prison overcrowding.
The report said Stanley Prison had 2,169 prisoners against a design capacity of 1,511 as of March 31, 2026. That would represent occupancy of about 143 percent.
The organisation also alleged that Lai's movements inside the prison are subject to additional security measures and that areas are cleared when he is moved or receives family visitors. Those claims come from the foundation's report and have not been independently established.
Frances Hui among overseas activists wanted by Hong Kong police
The author of the CFHK Foundation report, Frances Hui, is herself wanted by Hong Kong national security authorities.
Hong Kong police issued a HK$1 million reward for information leading to her arrest after accusing her of offences involving foreign collusion. Hui has remained outside Hong Kong and works as a policy and advocacy manager for the Washington based foundation.
Her position has made her a prominent overseas critic of Hong Kong's national security policies.
The foundation's website has also been blocked by some Hong Kong telecommunications providers.
The CSD's response did not address Hui personally in the statement cited by local media, but it referred broadly to overseas figures whom authorities accused of using reports without factual basis to make allegations about Lai's health and custodial arrangements.
Dispute comes as international attention grows
The controversy over Lai's treatment comes as his imprisonment continues to draw attention from governments, lawmakers and human rights organisations outside Hong Kong.
The CFHK Foundation has called for Lai's release and has urged foreign governments to raise his case in dealings with Beijing.
The organisation's report also preceded a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24. The foundation argued that Lai's case should form part of discussions between Washington and Beijing.
US lawmakers have separately introduced legislation focused on accountability for the deaths of political prisoners in Hong Kong custody. The proposed Jimmy Lai Hong Kong Political Prisoner Accountability Act of 2026 would require the US government to examine whether abuse, medical neglect, detention conditions or other actions contributed to the death of a political prisoner held by Hong Kong authorities.
The development has added another layer to an already contentious international dispute over Lai's imprisonment.
Hong Kong authorities maintain that Lai was prosecuted under the law and that he is receiving adequate medical services. His supporters and the CFHK Foundation dispute that account and have called for greater independent access to his medical condition and prison treatment.
A separate death at Stanley Prison
The debate has also unfolded shortly after a separate death at Stanley Prison.
On September 14, the Correctional Services Department announced that a 62 year old man held on remand had been found unconscious inside a single cell. The department said the man had lung cancer and required continuing medical treatment at the prison hospital and public hospitals.
A correctional officer found him unconscious at 1:48 p.m. and immediately called for assistance. An ambulance transported him to a public hospital, where doctors continued resuscitation efforts. He was pronounced dead at 3:28 p.m.
The CSD said the case had been reported to police and that a death inquest would be held by the Coroner's Court. The man had been remanded in connection with a murder case dating from 2023.
That death is separate from the allegations concerning Lai and does not establish any connection between the two cases.
For Lai, however, the central issue remains disputed: the CFHK Foundation says a source with knowledge of prison operations reported a rehearsal for a possible death in custody, while the Correctional Services Department has declined to discuss specific security procedures and has rejected broader allegations about inadequate care.
With Lai continuing to serve a 20 year sentence, scrutiny of his health and prison treatment is likely to remain intense. What should independent observers be able to verify about the medical care and custodial conditions of prisoners held in Hong Kong?