Jimmy Lai’s Daughter Writes in Washington Post: If China Does Not Release Her Father, He Will Become a Martyr
黎智英女兒投書華郵：若中國不釋放父親 他將成為烈士
Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital who has been detained for more than 1,800 days, has seen his health deteriorate rapidly in prison, his daughter Claire Lai wrote in the Washington Post yesterday (the 9th). She said that during prison visits and court hearings over the past several years, she had observed at close range that her father’s fingernails were falling off, his teeth were decaying and his eyes were bloodshot. When he appeared in court last June, his face was pale and he was trembling continuously. She said that if the Chinese government did not release him, he could very likely become a martyr for freedom. She also disclosed that if he were released, he would leave Hong Kong, saying, “His days of fighting for justice are over. He only hopes to spend the rest of his life peacefully with his family.” In an article for the Washington Post headlined “My father is wasting away. If China does not act, he will become a martyr,” Claire Lai said her father, who had just turned 78, had seen his health rapidly deteriorate since becoming a political prisoner five years ago. He has diabetes and high blood pressure, his hearing and eyesight are deteriorating, and he has suffered infections for several months. At times, he has even found it difficult to stand. As his daughter, Claire is deeply concerned about her father’s health. She said that the shirt he wore when he was arrested in 2020 could now “swallow him whole,” indicating that he had become severely emaciated. Over the past two years, Claire has been able to observe him at close range in court and during prison visits. “His skin is drying up, his fingernails change colour before they fall off, his teeth are decaying, and his eyes are often dry and bloodshot,” she wrote.
被關押逾1800日的壹傳媒創辦人黎智英，其女兒黎采昨（9日）投書華盛頓郵報，指父親的健康在獄中急劇惡化，過去幾年在探監和旁聽審訊時，她近距離觀察到父親指甲脫落、牙齒腐爛、眼睛充血，去年6月上庭時更臉色蒼白、不斷顫抖。她指出若中國政府不釋放父親，他很有可能成為自由的烈士，更透露若父親獲釋，將離開香港，「他為正義奔走的時日已經結束，他只希望與家人和平地度過餘生」。 黎智英女兒黎采（Claire）以「我的父親正在消瘦殆盡。如果中國不採取行動，他將成為烈士」為題在華盛頓郵報撰文，指剛滿78歲的父親自5年前成為政治犯以來，健康迅速惡化，他患有糖尿病和高血壓，聽力和視力正在衰退，更遭受幾個月的感染，有時甚至連站立都很困難。 作為女兒，Claire相當擔心父親的健康，更指他在2020年被捕時穿的襯衣，現在已能把他整個人「吞沒」，表示父親嚴重消瘦。過去兩年，Claire在法庭上或探監時，都能近距離觀察父親，「他的皮膚正在乾枯，指甲在脫落之前變色，牙齒正在腐爛，他的眼睛經常乾澀充血」。 ss