Overview

• Lai, 77, a British citizen and former Apple Daily publisher, has spent about 1,700 days largely in solitary confinement and now awaits a verdict after his National Security Law trial concluded on August 28.
• The filing asks UN special rapporteurs on torture, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions, and the right to health to intervene and publicly press Hong Kong and China.
• The legal team’s review of 143 natural‑cause prison deaths from 2014 to 2025 found 12 cases closely matching Lai’s profile, with the most recent in late June 2025.
• The submission reports many diabetic prisoners were transferred to hospital fewer than three days before death, pointing to failures to identify and treat deteriorating health.
• Lawyers cite Lai’s weight loss, heart palpitations that paused proceedings, and a cardiac monitor, alleging lack of independent specialist care and urging action from the UK government after unanswered meeting requests.