After the more than year-long trial of democratic activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, China's state-selected judges say they'll rule "in good time." Roughly translated: They're in no hurry. Beijing will say when a verdict is due.

Lai, who has been in solitary confinement for nearly five years — 1,700 days, if you can imagine — cannot have been surprised. Almost 78 and a diabetic in seriously declining health, he has become accustomed to waiting. But time is of the essence for the former billionaire media mogul who, say his supporters, is at risk of dying in prison.

In a recent plea to the United Nations, Lai's legal team appealed for intervention, off ering chilling evidence of Hong Kong authorities' failure to provide lifesaving treatment to ill prisoners.

Lai has suff ered drastic weight

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