The US-based Formosan Association for Human Rights (FAHR) in a letter on Saturday condemned the “inhuman imprisonment conditions” faced by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and called on the Presidential Office and Ministry of Justice to “set aside political motives” and grant Chen the hospital stay he needs to return to full health.

Chen, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year prison sentence for corruption, was granted a temporary release from Taipei Prison on Tuesday for a medical checkup at Taoyuan General Hospital because of heath concerns. A series of tests revealed that he was suffering from an acute coronary syndrome and significantly reduced blood flow to the heart, a potentially fatal condition, the letter said.