Overview

• On Sept. 4–5, Lai’s international legal team submitted an urgent appeal to UN special rapporteurs, warning that his health has deteriorated in custody and his life is in immediate danger.
• The submission analyzes 143 natural-cause prisoner deaths from 2014–2025, finding half were older inmates, 13% were diabetic, and over a third were sent to hospital less than 24 hours before death, with 12 cases closely matching Lai’s profile.
• Lai, a diabetic with heart issues and high blood pressure, experienced palpitations that delayed court proceedings and now wears a cardiac monitor, yet his lawyers say he has not received an independent specialist assessment.
• Detained since December 2020 and held largely in solitary confinement for roughly 1,700 days, Lai has completed his national security trial, and judges are considering a verdict that could carry a life sentence.
• The appeal was addressed to UN experts including Alice Edwards, Morris Tidball-Binz and Tlaleng Mofokeng, and follows a UN Working Group finding last year that Lai’s detention is unlawful and he should be released.