The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has strongly condemned what it termed “out-of-context and fact-twisting reports” by some foreign media outlets, including the US-based Cable News Network (CNN), on the court hearing of the case of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.

Such reports attempt to mislead the public into believing that Lai did not receive the medical care he needed as a means to smear his case under the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL), as well as his custodial arrangements and the medical care services provided to him, the government said.

Their aim to smear and undermine Hong Kong's rule of law is despicable and violates the professional conduct of journalists, it added.

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“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 and that there had been no complaints at all regarding the medical care he receives there,” a spokesman for the HKSAR government said in a statement issued on Friday night.

The court commended the Correctional Services Department (CSD) while the Department of Justice stated that the prosecution is equally concerned about Lai’s health and well-being, which led the CSD to arrange for a professional medical team to be on standby on the spot, ready to respond to any emergency immediately if needed, said the spokesman.

“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, doctors certified that Lai was physically and mentally fit for court hearing, the government said.

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Following his claims of heart palpitations, a visiting specialist from the Hospital Authority conducted a detailed examination on him on Aug 7 and no abnormality was found. As a precaution, the specialist recommended prescribing medication to Lai 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, according to the spokesman.

On Aug 13, the CSD arranged for another detailed examination by a specialist from the Hospital Authority. The specialist again recommended that Lai wear a device to monitor his cardiac condition, which he finally accepted to do, and the Hospital Authority and the CSD immediately made arrangements for that within a short period of time, said the spokesman.

The CSD is committed to ensuring that the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate and healthy and 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 are protected, the spokesman said.

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“The medical care received by Lai Chee-ying in custody is adequate and comprehensive. The CSD supports persons in custody with medical services provided by the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority.”

Professional medical staff provide the most suitable medical services to patients as soon as possible, and persons in custody are treated equally, the spokesman said, pointing out that the authorities concerned adopt the proper arrangements while handling matters related to Lai, which are no different from those applicable to other persons in custody.